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Kenwood TH-D72A/E GPS Receiver User Manual

1. 36 5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 37 5 1 UI View32 37 5 1 1 Introduction of UI View 37 5 1 2 Connecting a PC 38 5 1 3 How to Configure UI View32 38 5 2 Available Software associated with APRS 40 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 41 6 1 Let s Go Mobile 41 6 1 1 Overview 41 6 1 1 1 Automatic Reply Function 41 6 1 1 2 Entering Characters 42 6 1 2 Decay Algorithm Function 42 6 1 3 Proportional Pathing Function 42 6 1 4 Simultaneously using Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing 43 6 1 5 SmartBeaconing Written by Steve Bragg KA9MVA 43 6 1 5 1 Variable Rate Beaconing Transmission Interval Changes with Speed 43 6 1 5 2 Corner Pegging Transmission after Heading Change 44 6 1 5 3 Operation Example 46 6 1 6 QSY Function 47 6 1 6 1 Transmitting QSY Information
2. 23 3 2 15 Placing a Transceiver in APRS mode 23 3 2 16 Transmitting a Beacon 23 4 GPS 24 4 1 What is GPS 24 4 1 1 Position Determination Principle 24 4 1 2 Datum Geodetic Survey System 25 4 1 2 1 GPS and APRS Position Format 25 4 2 GPS Receivers 26 4 2 1 Garmin GPS18xPC 26 4 2 2 AvMap G5 26 4 2 3 Other GPS Receivers 26 4 2 4 Settings for Geodetic Survey System 27 4 3 Internal GPS 27 4 3 1 GPS Satellite Information Display 27 4 3 2 Automatic Adjustment of the Built in Clock 28 4 3 3 North Up and Heading Up 28 4 3 4 NMEA Sentence Output 30 4 3 5 Internal GPS Unit Save 31 4 3 6 Battery Operating Time during the Concurrent Use of the Internal GPS Unit 31 4 3 7 GPS Only Mode 32 4 3 8 Log Function 32 4 3 9 Mark Waypoint 35 4 3 10 Target Point 35 4 3 11 SBAS
3. 47 6 1 6 2 Receiving QSY Information 49 6 1 6 3 QSY Functions and EchoLink 49 6 1 7 Message Function 49 6 1 7 1 Automatic Reply Function 49 6 1 7 2 TX Beep Beacon 50 CONTENTS II TH D72A E 6 1 8 APRS Lock 50 6 2 Base Station Weather Station 51 6 2 1 Using Meteorological Equipment 51 6 2 1 1 Davis Instruments Corp Inc 51 6 2 1 2 Peet Bros Company 52 7 APRS NETWORKS 53 7 1 APRS Servers 53 7 2 IGate 53 7 3 Let s Send Email 55 7 3 1 Sending Email with TH D72A E 55 7 4 Digipeaters Digital Repeaters 57 7 4 1 UIDIGI 57 7 4 2 UIFLOOD 58 7 4 3 UITRACE 58 7 4 4 Configuration Examples USA 59 7 4 5 Proper Configuration written by Bob Bruninga WB4APR 60 7 5 Packet Path 62 7 5 1 New N Paradigm 62 7 5 2 RELAY Paradigm 62 7 5 3 STATE SECTION REGION 63 8 MCP 4A
4. display Figure 4 7 North Up Figure 4 8 Heading Up Target point distance Travel direction display Figure 4 9 North Up Figure 4 10 Heading Up Station List menu 4th page Figure 4 11 North Up Figure 4 12 Heading Up 4 GPS 30 CONTENTS TH D72A E This function enables exporting the NMEA 0183 raw data from the internal GPS unit via the PC USB connector Searching the web reveals many applications that utilize the raw data Some convert the raw data into Google Earth format and others display the satellite information or save the trajectory Or you can view the raw data using HyperTerminal or some other terminal software Figure 4 13 Displaying the Raw Data TH D72A E can generate the following seven types of NMEA data GPGGA GPGLL GPGSA GPGSV GPRMC GPVTG GPZDA Use Menu 211 GPS Setup Sentence to select the type of NMEA sentence that is output from the internal GPS unit to a PC Figure 4 14 Menu 211 Sentence Press the MHz key to toggle between adding and deleting the sentence The mark appears to the left of the added sentence GPGGA and GPRMC cannot be deleted as they are necessary for BEACON transmission and satellite information displays To display the position information display GPGSV or GPGSA should be selected 4 3 4 NMEA Sentence Output 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 31 If the reception is inferior such as while you are in a buildi
5. in Easy Setup and then clicking the OK button closes the KISS Setup window 5 1 2 Connecting a PC 5 1 3 How to Configure UI View32 5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC TH D72A E CONTENTS 39 Figure 5 4 KISS Setup Window 6 Click the OK button in the Comms Setup window to close the Comms Setup window UI View32 sends a command to TH D72A E s built in TNC that is changed to the KISS mode During the process STA and CON on the TH D72A E s display blink simultaneously 6 times Starting from this point APRS communications starts followed by the configuration for UI View32 The configurations associated with APRS for TH D72A E in Menu 300 to 3Y0 has no influence to this operation For details of other configurations for UI Vew32 refer to the descriptions in the help file and other reference materials Note Even if you select TH D7 or TM D700 for TNC type in the Comms Setup window of UI Vew32 you cannot expect proper operation due to incompatibility of PC commands Ensure that the transceiver is placed in KISS mode as described above The built in TNC has 2 kB memory to store data for KISS mode for TX and RX We do not recommend you select D700 for Easy Setup in the KISS Setup window of UI View23 due to the incompatibility of PC commands As explained above select TNC2 for TH D72A E When changing the PACKET transfer rate of the built in TNC from 1200 bps defa
6. A the cursor moves to the next digit automatically and you don t have to advance it manually so as to simplify and enhance the key operation Adjusting wait times Lengths of wait times that were fixed on the previous models now can be adjusted by a user For example you can set the illumination timer the delay time until resuming Time Operated Scan or Carrier Operated Scan after a pause and the duration of an interrupted display upon receipt of APRS data Weather channel scan USA Canada only A total of 10 weather channels can be scanned It is possible to search for adjacent weather channels with the strongest signal Also the scan can automatically be done with a programmed interval and it is most effective during the operation by a mobile or portable station In addition to the above the TH D72A E has more applied functions and we hope your actual use of the transceiver presents excellence 1 3 Other New Functions 4 CONTENTS TH D72A E 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR APRS Overview The TH D72A E APRS Handy Transceiver brings so many new capabilities and enhancements to the portable and mobile operator that it is hard to fully grasp the power that this brings to APRS Besides the built in GPS and significant enhancement of the capabilities and depth and breadth of APRS the new radio continues the evolution of the fundamental principles of APRS as a common information r
7. Icon Figure 3 17 Menu 3C0 Icon Select Menu 3D0 TX Beacon Method to configure the method to transmit the beacon Manual is the default value To transmit beacons automatically set to Auto or SmartBeaconing in the menu Figure 3 18 TX Beacon Method Menu 3 2 8 Status Text 3 2 9 APRS Icon 3 2 10 Method of Beacon Transmission 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 22 CONTENTS TH D72A E To configure the packetpath select Menu 3H0 APRS PacketPath Configure the packet path type Figure 3 19 Menu 3H0 PacketPath Type Set WIDE1 1 Figure 3 20 Menu 3H1 PacketPath WIDE1 1 Set the number of packet hops Figure 3 21 Menu 3H2 PacketPath Total To configure the sound level select Menu 3T0 APRS Sound Figure 3 22 Menu 3T0 Sound RX Beep To enable or disable the battery saver select Menu 110 Radio Battery Batt Saver Figure 3 23 Menu 110 Battery Batt Saver 3 2 11 Packet Path 3 2 12 Sound 3 2 13 Battery Saver 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 23 Example 144 390 MHz the APRS operation frequency is configured for operation frequency for the data band Figure 3 24 Frequency Press the TNC key to place a transceiver in APRS mode After the message Opening TNC appears for three seconds APRS appears and the APRS data communication capability becomes active Data communications take place on the data band
8. Press the BCON key to transmit a beacon The beacon is transmitted according to the method selected in Menu 3D0 TX Beacon Method 3 2 14 APRS Operating Frequency 3 2 15 Placing a Transceiver in APRS mode 3 2 16 Transmitting a Beacon 24 CONTENTS TH D72A E 4 GPS GPS standing for Global Positioning System is becoming common nowadays and following is a brief introduction The American Defense Department developed GPS originally for military operations The system is available for use by the general public For example anybody can use GPS in association with modern vehicle navigation systems Position precision for public use is 15 m or 50 feet Moreover precision can be improved when used for vehicle navigation and aboard ships through use of map matching technology and differential GPS techniques A total of 24 or more GPS satellites are at a high level altitude of approximately 20 000 km or 12 500 miles on six circular tracks with orbital radii of approximately 26 000 km or 16 200 miles Therefore there are four or more satellites located in each orbital track GPS typically operates at the frequency of 1575 42 MHz with the bandwidth of 2 046 MHz Because multiple GPS satellites transmit signals at the same frequency spread spectrum SS modulation is used Due care must be taken when installing amateur radio equipment and antennas for use on the 430 MHz or 1200 MHz bands to prevent from interfering with GPS signals Fi
9. 100 MHz D023 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Wide band FM DCS code of 023 Simplex 446 100 MHz d023 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Narrow band FM DCS code of 023 Simplex 446 100 MHz tOFF Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Narrow band FM Tone frequency None Simplex 146 850 MHz Voice frequency configured for 146 850 MHz Wide Tone frequency None Minus Shift 600 kHz Offset TH D72A s Auto Repeater Offset may work 444 750 MHz Toff Voice frequency configured for 444 750 MHz Wide Tone frequency None Plus Shift Offset default on UHF band 5 MHz 146 850 MHz T131 060 Voice frequency configured for 146 850 MHz Wide band FM Tone frequency of 131 8 Hz Minus Shift 600 kHz offset 444 7625 MHz tOFF Voice frequency configured for 444 7625 MHz Narrow band FM Tone frequency None Plus Shift Offset default on UHF band 5 MHz 444 7625 MHz t131 4 MHz Voice frequency configured for 444 7625 MHz Narrow Tone 131 8 Hz Shift Offset 5 MHz Default offset on UHF band 4 MHz is not allowed and it results in a syntax error for TM D710A so that the default offset 5 MHz K type is applied instead Figure 6 6 QSY Information Transmission Configuration Menu 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 49 The TH D72A E receives QSY information not only from another TH D72A E but als
10. Baud Rate 9600 bps same as weather equipment being used Input Weather Davis or Weather Peet Bros Output OFF Figure 6 10 Menu 602 GPS Equipment that has been verified with our transceiver includes the following models The weather station Vantage Pro2 http www davisnet com weather products vantage pro professional weather stations asp can be used with TH D72A E WeatherLink for Vantage Pro2 Windows Serial Port Davis Part 06510SER or WeatherLink for APRS with Streaming Data Logger Davis Part 06540 is required for TH D72A E Install the adapter that comes with the above accessories to work with TH D72A E To communicate with Vantage Pro2 configure the communication baud rate of Vantage Pro2 for 9600 bps using the panel keys and then configure the TH D72A E communication baud rate Menu 330 to 9600 bps as well Note 4800 bps 06540 06510SER or 2400 bps 06510SER may work with TH D72A E but we recommend using 9600 bps for stable operation 6 2 Base Station Weather Station 6 2 1 Using Meteorological Equipment 6 2 1 1 Davis Instruments Corp Inc 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 52 CONTENTS TH D72A E The weather station ULTIMETER 2100 http www peetbros com shop item aspx itemid 2 can also be used with TH D72A E To communicate with Vantage Pro2 configure the TH D72A E communication baud rate Menu 330 to 2400 bps as well Note Because the GPS receiver an
11. Development 2 1 3 Other New Functions 3 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 4 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 15 3 1 What Do I Need to Configure 15 3 2 Configuration 17 3 2 1 Built in Clock 17 3 2 1 1 Activating Your Mobile GPS Position 17 3 2 1 2 Setting Manually in the Menu 17 3 2 2 My Callsign 18 3 2 3 Beacon Type 18 3 2 4 Data Band 19 3 2 5 Packet Speed 19 3 2 6 Position 19 3 2 6 1 Using Internal GPS 19 3 2 6 2 Using GPS Receivers 19 3 2 6 3 Manually Entering Your Position 20 3 2 7 Position Comment 20 3 2 8 Status Text 21 3 2 9 APRS Icon 21 3 2 10 Method of Beacon Transmission 21 3 2 11 Packet Path 22 3 2 12 Sound 22 3 2 13 Battery Saver 22 3 2 14 APRS Operating Frequency
12. Driver http www kenwood com i products info amateur vcp_e html 2 Download the newest version of MCP 4A from the Kenwood web site URL shown below MCP 4A download location http www kenwood com i products info amateur mcp4a_e html URL is subject to change 3 Extract the downloaded file into a designated folder In the designated folder a folder will be created Execute the setup exe in the folder and follow the instructions that appear on the display to install MCP 4A Note Windows Vista and Windows 7 require that you click the Allow A button when the User Account Control window displays a message asking permission to install the software Installing MCP 4A alone without first installing Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later will result in MCP 4A not being able to start Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later must be installed first Windows Vista and Windows 7 do not require Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later since this newer version of Windows already contains the necessary environment software 8 1 Downloading and Installing MCP 4A Computer Required Specification Operating System Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later 32 bit Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or later 32 bit 64 bit Windows 7 32 bit 64 bit Run time Environment Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later must be installed CPU CPU clock f
13. Just like the Frequency Objects all ham radio VoIP systems are encouraged to announce their presence on APRS Within 10 minutes the node number frequency tone and other info are available to all APRS operators on their radios as shown above Again a simple press of the TUNE function will QSY the radio for instant operation The long term goal of this VoIP and Frequency capability has been to enable APRS to be used for setting up end to end global voice contacts Simply entering a callsign in a contact request message will cause the APRS Internet system to handshake with the VoIP systems to set up the call and send the necessary QSY messages and frequency information for the radio to instantly tune and complete the call Think of it as a cellular system for ham radio where you dial by callsign instead of phone number Both TM D710A E and TH D72A E were designed to be evolved with this capability 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 12 CONTENTS TH D72A E Digipeater Path Information Another new information feature of TH D72A E is the digipeater path display shown here This display shows the First and Last digipeaters used Most APRS areas encourage the use of only 2 hops or less This means in most cases the full path is visible In this image the WB3V 6 packet was First heard by the N3KTX 1 digipeater and then it was delivered to my radio by the Last hop on the KV3B 2 digipeater This path knowledge is ve
14. Mobile 6 1 1 Overview 6 1 1 1 Automatic Reply Function 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 42 CONTENTS TH D72A E Characters can be entered using the encoder or 10 key numeric keypad as you would when texting from a cell phone If the position beacon for a mobile station is configured to be transmitted at a fixed time interval it would be inefficient use of air time to continue transmitting at this fixed interval when traffic is slow moving The beacon transmission interval gradually increases by using a decay algorithm thus cleverly reducing air time used by the station Figure 6 1 Decay Algorithm Decay Algorithm steps the transmission interval of the beacon down from 1 if the automatic transmission interval is set to 1 minute to 2 to 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 minutes when the mobile station is not moving On the TH D72A E when the interval for automatic transmission is greater than that of Decay Algorithm the automatic transmission interval is used The speed at which Decay Algorithm decides that the car is parked can be set using the Stopped dropdown list in the Basic tab of the APRS window of the MCP 4A programming software If the mobile station s speed is less than this setting then Decay Algorithm will start The speed setting can be changed only in the MCP 4A program This function automatically changes the transmit packet path relay route as the automatic transmission interval elapses while traveling The function substan
15. OK ESC OK ESC 4 GPS 36 CONTENTS TH D72A E The distance from the current location to the Target Point can be confirmed in the Target Point screen Target Point display is the third page from the Latitude Longitude display reached by repeatedly pressing the OK key However if no GPS data is positioned by GPS Finding GPS satellites screen appears and therefore you cannot switch to the Target Point screen Pressing the F key in the Target Point screen toggles between North Up and Heading Up SBAS Satellite Based Augmentation System is a collective term given to the technologies to correct GPS errors using geostationary satellites SBAS is referred to as WAAS Wide Area Augmentation System for the USA as EGNOS European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service for Europe and as MSAS MTSAT Satellite based Augmentation System for Japan To configure SBAS go to Menu 212 GPS Setup SBAS Note however that you cannot configure the SBAS function to be enabled if anything other than OFF is configured for Battery Save in Menu 201 GPS Int GPS Batt Saver Figure 4 30 SBAS Menu Note While SBAS is active ensure that the sky is not obstructed in the direction of the SBAS satellite during the positioning Upon receipt of a signal from WAAS the satellite number 35 47 48 51 or 34 appears in the GPS satellite information screen Upon receipt of a
16. Proportional Pathing are used at the same time Figure 6 3 Switching between Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing when Stopped 1 knot Moving 3 knots As the example above shows when the mobile s speed exceeds 3 knots Decay Algorithm stops and Proportional Pathing begins Similarly when the mobile s speed drops below 1 knot then Proportional Pathing stops and Decay Algorithm begins Note The Stopped value cannot be configured higher than the Moving value Also the Moving value cannot be configured lower than the Stopped value SmartBeaconing was developed by Mr Steve Bragg KA9MVA and Mr Tony Arnerich KD7TA in 1998 SmartBeaconing uses the speed information that is received from the GPS receiver and traveling direction to efficiently transmit the beacon There are two factors that come into play when determining how SmartBeaconing functions distance traveled since last beacon transmission addressed by using Variable Rate Beaconing to change the transmission interval with speed and heading change since last beacon transmission referred to as Corner Pegging When your mobile station is moving at a speed less than LOW SPEED as set in the menu the position beacon repeatedly transmits at the interval of SLOW RATE as set in the menu When your mobile station is moving faster than HIGH SPEED as set in the menu the position beacon repeatedly transmits at the interval of FAST RATE as set in the menu And if your mobile is
17. and APRS have standardized on the degrees and decimal minutes format Just like it is important to use proper international phonetics when spelling on the air it is important in APRS as in any communications system to have a default standard for position All operators should be trained to use the DDD MM mm format by default in voice communications just like in the data formats Using these standards on the air will prevent communications errors confusion repeats and conversions APRS Standard 4 1 2 Datum Geodetic Survey System 4 1 2 1 GPS and APRS Position Format Geographic Coordinates Format Example Latitude DD MM mm degrees and minutes 39 49 31N 39 49 31 Longitude DDD MM mm degrees and minutes 84 15 39W 84 15 39 4 GPS 26 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 4 2 Connection Example of GPS Receiver The GPS18xPC is a GPS module receiver And it interfaces via a 9 pin D Sub RS 232C serial port Refer to the wiring example using commonly available DB 9 connector male and a cable with 3 conductor plug Kenwood service part E30 3400 15 Power is sourced from the 12VDC supplied from a vehicle cigarette lighter socket Because there is no screen you cannot use the Waypoint function Figure 4 3 Cable Connection Example Garmin GPS18xPC The AvMap G5 comes with a Kenwood ready cable and exclusive APRS interface built right into the panel You can watch APRS activity on the AvMap G5 screen without having a PC It also
18. and Canada of TH G71 due to command specification differences 8 4 Reading GPS Log Data 8 4 1 Reading GPS Log Data from TH D72A E 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 71 Figure 8 6 GPS Data Reading Screen When the reading is complete the PGS log data is saved in NMEA file format in the MCP 4A folder The GPS Logger window shows the saved NMEA files The file name is the time and date when the data is read Two types of NMEA file are created a file that contains all the log data read from the transceiver and a file that is divided into blocks Stop the log to divide the data into blocks while recording the log on the transceiver For example if you wish to divide the log data into data for outward and return trips stopping the logging once will divide the data into two blocks The GPS Logger window allows conversion of NMEA files to KML or GPX files or deletion of the data The GPS Logger window can be opened also from GPS Logger in the Tools pulldown menu Figure 8 7 GPS Logger Window 8 4 2 Managing the Read GPS Log Data 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 72 CONTENTS TH D72A E To display the read GPS log data in a map program convert the date to KML or GPX file format In the GPS Logger window select the desired log data and press the Save button Track and Rate of Preservation appear Changing the value of Rate of Preservatio
19. as the Track Log icon Figure 4 20 GPS Only Mode The available log record methods are Time Distance and Beacon Select the record method that suits the means of traveling you choose the traveling distance and the environment of the location For example if there are many turns a correct logging may not be possible with Distance and you should set to Time instead Conversely when you are forced to stay at the same place for a long time because of a traffic jam or for some other reason Distance will be more efficient Use Menu 230 GPS Log Setup Record Method to set the log record method Time records the log with the time spacing specified in Interval The possible value of Interval is between 2 and 1800 seconds Figure 4 21 If 10 seconds are configured for Interval Distance records the log entry after a transceiver leaves exceeding the preconfigured distance from the point where the log was recorded last The value of Distance can be configured in the range from 0 01 to 9 99 The unit of Distance can be selected from km mile and nm in Units 1 Menu No 3V0 in the APRS menu Figure 4 22 If 0 01 miles are configured for Distance Configuring Beacon enables recording the log immediately after a beacon is transmitted each time Using SmartBeaconing in conjunction enables more efficient logging at a turn in the road Figure 4 23 Normal Logging Method 4 GPS 34 CONTENTS
20. example if at the time of a beacon transmission the non data band has a frequency of 446 100 MHz selected then the frequency of 446 100 MHz gets embedded to the beginning of the status text Then to embed Tone and Narrow Wide information configure Tone Narrow to ON in Menu 3A1 and Wide Narrow Tone CTCSS SCS and the code of Tone CTCSS DCS will be added after the frequency information in the status text with a single blank space used as a delimiter Furthermore to embed the Shift and Offset frequency configure the Shift Offset to ON in Menu 3A2 and the Shift and Offset frequency will be added after the Tone and Wide Narrow information in the status text with a single blank space used as a delimiter QSY Information Format Insert one space after the frequency before entering Wide Narrow Tone CTCSS DCS and Shift Offset T079 Upper case T indicates Wide Tone frequency of 79 7 Hz Encoding t079 Lower case t indicates Narrow Tone frequency of 79 7 Hz Encoding tOFF Lower case t indicates Narrow Tone OFF Without any tone encoding or decoding C079 Upper case C indicates Wide CTCSS frequency of 79 7 Hz Encoding Decoding c079 Lower case c indicates Narrow CTCSS frequency of 79 7 Hz Encoding Decoding D023 Upper case D indicates Wide DCS code of 023 Encoding Decoding d023 Lower c
21. information afterward Figure 4 28 Registration Screen The registered Mark Waypoint can be viewed in the Mark Waypoint list Press the MARK key to display the Mark Waypoint list Press the CLR A B key to delete the Mark Waypoint in the Mark Waypoint list Pressing the MENU key opens the Mark Waypoint menu screen where you can edit the name and icon and copy the displayed Mark Waypoint to the Target Point Registering a Target Point allows you to know the distance and direction from your current location to the Target Point The direction display can be switched between North Up and Heading Up Up to 5 Target Points can be registered The registration of a Target Point can be made in two ways entering latitude and longitude manually in the menu and copying an existing Mark Waypoint To make a registration in a menu select Menu 240 GPS Target Pt Selecting the Target Point number and pressing the MHz key displays mark next to the number Then enter a Target Point name latitude and longitude Figure 4 29 Target Point Menu The information with a Mark Waypoint can be registered as a Target Point For example registering a rest area on the highway as a Mark Waypoint will be useful to know on the return trip within how much time or distance you can reach the rest area To copy a Mark Waypoint to a Target Point go to the menu in the Mark Waypoint list 4 3 9 Mark Waypoint 4 3 10 Target Point OK ESC
22. of May 15th and has not been upgraded from the original firmware version 9 4 How to Get Latest Firmware Software 9 5 How to Update Item to Update Downloads Bundle files Transceiver TH D72_Main_VxxxE zip TH D72_Main_Vxxx_e exe TH D72_Main_e chm TNC TH D72_TNC_VxxxE zip TH D72_Tnc_Vxxx_e exe TH D72_Tnc_e chm TH D72A E CONTENTS 79 10 MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS I find that using the Kenwood TH D72A E with built in GPS is very convenient for travel And also APRS operations are simple without the use of an external GPS device But at times it is important for me to have a visual display of APRS activity around me without the use of a computer TH D72A E uses the NMEA 0183 standard at 4800 and 9600 baud rates to communicate with the GPS unit The transceiver has three formats for interfacing to GPS units NMEA Magellan and the Kenwood format A GPS system with a serial interface will connect to the TH D72A E but if your GPS supports bi directional communication it is possible to have APRS callsigns and icons appear on the GPS screen Of all the name brand GPS units the AvMap G6 smoothly interfaces with the Kenwood TH D72A E TNC better than any other with less adaptation and more features specific to APRS and the TH D72A E The AvMap G6 takes advantage of the Kenwood APRS sentence and provides a Kenwood interface cable for truly Plug and Play operations Note The baud rates refer to serial communication between transceiver and GPS an
23. signal from EGNOS the satellite number 33 37 44 or 39 appears in the GPS satellite information screen Upon receipt of a signal from MTSAT the satellite number 42 or 50 appears in the GPS satellite information screen The signal from satellites that are located in a geostationary orbit is weaker and more difficult to capture than the signals of other GPS satellites and therefore positioning takes longer length of time Information regarding whether or not the data received from an SBAS satellite is used for computation in the GPS unit is not displayed Turning on the SBAS function does not guarantee that the margin of positioning error becomes smaller 4 3 11 SBAS F North Up Screen Heading Up Screen TH D72A E CONTENTS 37 5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC UI View32 is APRS client software designed to allow a PC to display APRS stations on a map and to use various APRS functions such as Internet gateway access It allows you to display on a map on your PC the APRS stations received by a TH D72A E and in addition connect to an Internet gateway In doing so APRS allows access to a much larger set of stations To start you will require a UI View32 registration number Registration No and a certification number for the APRS server Validation No Refer to the following link to download the latest version of UI View32 software to register and to obtain detailed setting an
24. simply selecting Tune as shown below 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR TH D72A E CONTENTS 9 These views show the screens for a station with frequency included in his position packet This is the 11th station in the list and it is beaconing its operating frequency as well as a short note telling everyone he is also listening on Voice Alert in simplex range The MENU button on this display will bring up a number of additional actions One is the TUNE function shown in the middle display above When TUNE is selected then the radio automatically tunes to the second band frequency as shown in the 3rd display Voice Repeaters and Club Info Besides alerting others to the voice monitoring frequency of other APRS operators the addition of the Frequency field to APRS opened up a whole new application of local information for the mobile operator Now everywhere the APRS operator travels he can be alerted to the recommended travelers voice repeater in any area he was passing through This is accomplished by not only having every digipeater beacon its position and availability but also by beaconing this local frequency object These frequency objects show up in the station list of all mobile operators in range as shown below in the TM D710A E and TH D72A E front panels On the TM D710A E station list as above not only are the two stations of AB9FX nearby but also his current VOICE operating frequency
25. that is compatible with Google Earth GPS Only mode A new mode is now added that disables all the features of the transceiver and allows only the GPS logger to function If you intend to only record the movement trajectory using the mode results in a substantial reduction in battery power consumption Mark Waypoint and Target Point functions While you are on a trip a maximum of 100 points that you want to store can be stored The recorded points can be used as a destination a Target Point for navigating while verifying the distance and azimuth until the destination Time adjustment function The current time data received from a GPS satellite can be used to manually or automatically set the clock built in the transceiver Display of GPS satellite information This is a familiar function of a typical GPS receiver The location and signal strength of each satellite can be viewed on the LCD screen 1 2 Evolving Development 1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT TH D72A E CONTENTS 3 In addition to the functions related to the internal GPS unit the transceiver has more new features Following are some major functions worth to be presented USB interface RS 232C has been the most common interface to connect a transceiver and a PC however in recent years only few PCs are equipped with an RS 232C connector TH D72A E is equipped with a Mini B USB connector The USB connector allows you to directly connect to a co
26. 3 In either case all digis in the state would be hit and any left over hops will not go anywhere This is because no digi will repeat the same packet twice TEMPn N Backup Emergency Path We also needed a special come as you are emergency backup path system for when there is no existing infrastructure and when we needed to implement a system in a hurry in the field The two standardized paths WIDEn N and SSn N provide good APRS operation everywhere for most applications Except if the power to the digipeaters is lost and then there is no backup system To meet this need we defined the special path of TEMPn N to be used when either WIDEn N or SSn N does not work To implement this ubiquitous backup system we took advantage of the fact that every existing Kenwood Mobile APRS radio can be a digipeater But it would be a huge problem if all these mobiles drove around routinely with their digipeaters enabled as WIDEn N or SSn N Human fallibility suggests that once turned on by the hundreds many would forget to turn them back off and we would destroy the national channel with unwanted interference We solved that problem by defining this special TEMPn N path This path can be enabled in ALL mobiles ALL the time because no one uses it for routine operations Thus it is available to everyone at any time if there is a mobile Kenwood nearby and there is no danger of any QRM to existing operations Unfortunately the original TM D700A E did not co
27. 710A E launched in 2007 it is possible to use EchoLink over VoIP and this means you can plot stations from the other side of the planet on a map while sending mail and communicating with them by voice Kenwood continues to be committed to exploring the possibilities of APRS to add more useful features PROLOGUE Amateurs Building the New Global Communications Network Kenwood s Approaches for development of APRS II CONTENTS TH D72A E Use of HF transceiver to call CQ and contact to hams around the world via ionosphere will never lose its appeal But there is elegance in being able to communicate with only an FM transceiver and by adopting the latest technology The global network consisting of thousands or even millions of stations will only get more interesting as it evolves with new ideas as a result of those like you becoming involved Isn t it exciting just to think about Everywhere even in such other country there are hams all over waiting to be contacted Once you begin sending a radio signal you can communicate with a myriad of other radio amateurs via the network Besides this global network evolves further as each of us adds our ideas In APRS information on local events and weather conditions are distributed and even amateur satellites orbiting around the earth also transmit positional data Also in APRS not only can you know where your acquaintance is currently located on the earth but you can even send them an APR
28. GH SPEED 70 SLOW RATE 30 minutes FAST RATE 120 seconds TURN ANGLE 28 TURN SLOPE 26 x10 speed TURN TIME 30 seconds 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 10 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Speed Speed vs Turn Threshold Turn Threshold degrees 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 47 The QSY function uses AFRS Automatic Frequency Reporting System to report a frequency on which voice communications can be established A station using the QSY function embeds the frequency information of your voice band in a position beacon transmission A receiving station of the information can easily tune to the frequency In addition to contacts between TH D72A Es when transmitting object information of a repeater or an EchoLink node station using an APRS software program if embedding QSY information in the status text the receiving station can conveniently set TH D72A E or TM D710A E to be ready for accessing the repeater or the node station with a single action A properly configured functioning TH D72A E QSY station can automatically embed the voice frequency as well as Tone Narrow Wide Shift Offset frequency from the non data band to the beginning of status text To embed the voice frequency configure QSY in Status to ON in Menu 3A0 and the frequency will be automatically added to the beginning of status text and then sent The format of the transmitted frequency is FFF FFF MHz So for
29. MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 64 8 1 Downloading and Installing MCP 4A 65 8 2 Main Functions of MCP 4A 68 8 2 1 Useful Functions of MCP 4A 68 8 2 2 Functions Only Configurable by MCP 4A 68 8 3 Reading a File 69 8 3 1 Reading a File Created with MCP 4A 69 8 3 2 Importing Other MCP Files into MCP 4A 69 8 4 Reading GPS Log Data 70 8 4 1 Reading GPS Log Data from TH D72A E 70 8 4 2 Managing the Read GPS Log Data 71 8 4 3 Converting to KML or GPX File Format 72 8 5 Introduction to Main Functions 73 8 5 1 Simple Operation 73 8 5 2 Graphical Display of SmartBeaconing 73 8 5 3 Changing the Font Sizes 74 8 5 4 Setting your Callsign 74 8 5 5 Exporting hmk Files 74 8 5 6 Configuring RSS 74 8 5 7 Changing the Power on Bitmap Image 75 8 5 8 Configuring the Character String for the Power o
30. NG APRS 20 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 3 10 Menu 311 COM Port Input To use the position configured in the menu disable the internal GPS unit To configure for a GPS terminal select Menu 331 APRS COM Port Input Off Figure 3 11 Menu 311 COM Port Input To configure the position of your own station select Menu 360 APRS My Position Name any name Enter a name familiar with you For instance Home name etc Latitude Enter a latitude value Longitude Enter a longitude value Example Configure a latitude of 39 49 31 N and a longitude of 84 15 39 W Refer to Figure 3 12 Figure 3 12 Menu 360 My Position To enter a position comment select Menu 380 APRS Comment Position Comment Figure 3 13 Menu 380 Comment Position Comment 3 2 6 3 Manually Entering Your Position 3 2 7 Position Comment 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 21 To enter a status text select Menu 390 APRS StatusText Select the text number Pressing the MHz key displays as a mark representing the status text is in use Figure 3 14 Menu 390 StatusText Number Configure the frequency how frequently the status text is sent for transmitting the position packets Figure 3 15 Menu 390 StatusText TX Rate Configure the status text Figure 3 16 Menu 390 StatusText Text To determine an icon for your own station select Menu 3C0 APRS
31. S message from your radio or PC You can send email directly to them or take advantage of EchoLink node numbers to make direct voice contact Combining the different technologies adds to and enhances your communications versatility and makes you a part of the communicating world Kenwood TH D72A E Transceivers Development Team New Technology Expands Amateur Radio Versatility TH D72A E CONTENTS 1 1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT Following is the designing and development concept for TH D72A E A genuine tool for communications via voice and data that is based on the TH D7A E An out of the box transceiver with an internal GPS unit turn key solution Equipped with a USB interface Emphasis on ease of operation with multifunction keys keys may not be minimized Full size dot matrix LCD display that enhances visibility for the user User updateable firmware Large capacity lithium ion battery Compatibility with APRS inherited from the TM D710A E In order to understand customer requirements we did surveys at various ham shows such as the Dayton Hamvention ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference DCC JARL Ham Fair Japan Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen Germany etc The many ideas gathered coalesced into the above development concept as the Product Planning staff and Development staff virtually merged during the conception phase to come up with the present development program Whe
32. S unit on the TH D72A E can retain up to 5 000 points of log data Saved information includes latitude longitude altitude traveling direction speed time and date The GPS logger function of the TH D72A E helps a lot on travel cycling mountain climbing or other outdoor activities To start the log press the TNC key in the function mode or select function menu number F 2 While the log function is active in Normal mode Log Start appears for 5 seconds followed by the illuminated iLOG pictogram iLOG pictogram blinks during the GPS positioning If the log is active while the internal GPS unit is inactive the GPS unit also becomes active automatically Figure 4 18 Log Start Display Figure 4 19 While the log is active 4 3 7 GPS Only Mode Battery Type Operating Time Normal Mode Output Power High GPS Only Mode Internal GPS Inactive Internal GPS Active Internal GPS Active PB 45L lithium ion battery Approximately 6 hours Approximately 5 hours Approximately 35 hours 4 3 8 Log Function 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 33 Pressing the TNC key again in the function mode or selecting the function menu number F 2 stops logging While the log function is inactive Log Stop appears for 5 seconds Even if the log is inactive the internal GPS unit continues to be active In GPS Only mode while the log is active appears as the Track Log icon and while the log is inactive appears
33. TH D72A E Cover 2 TH D72A E All copyrights and other intellectual property rights for this in depth manual and relevant technical documents as well as the software described in this in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software are owned by Kenwood Corporation A right to use the software described in this in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software is granted to a licensee by Kenwood Corporation however the title to and ownership for the software shall be owned by Kenwood Corporation Refer to this in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software for details Kenwood Corporation does not warrant that quality and performance of the software described in this in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software conform to the applicability of any use and Kenwood Corporation shall be free from liability for any defects damage or loss or from any warranty for anything other than what is expressly described in this in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software Any distribution resale lease waiver assignment or disclosure on a website of all in depth manual and relevant technical documents and help texts and manuals attached to the software written and made by Kenwood Corpor
34. TH D72A E Figure 4 24 During the Use combined with SmartBeaconing To delete the log data select Menu 220 GPS Track Log Clear All Data Select Yes to delete the log data Figure 4 25 Log Data Deletion Screen Memory usage for logging can be viewed in the Log Memory screen The Log Memory screen is the 4th page from the Latitude Longitude screen to be accessed by repeatedly pressing the OK key Figure 4 26 Log Memory Screen You can set whether or not the log is overwritten when the log memory becomes full Selecting ON in Menu 221 GPS Track Log Wrap When Full will allow old data to be overwritten with new data Selecting OFF will display Log Full when the memory becomes full and new data will no longer be stored Figure 4 27 Wrap Setting Screen Wrap When Full is turned on Wrap When Full is turned off Log Full Screen 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 35 You can register the current location as a Mark Waypoint on the TH D72A E A Mark Waypoint includes data of latitude longitude altitude time name and icon and up to 100 points can be registered To register a Mark Waypoint press and hold the MARK key If there is no GPS data positioned by GPS you cannot register a Mark Waypoint After the registration of a Mark Waypoint the registration screen appears for approximately 10 seconds Press the OK key in the registration screen to edit the name and icon data You can also edit name and icon
35. TIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 45 By changing the value of TURN SLOPE you can adjust how Corner Pegging responds as the mobile station executes curves When the value of TURN SLOPE is increased a large heading angle change is necessary to cause a position beacon transmission especially at low speeds When the value of TURN SLOPE is reduced the effect of speed on Corner Pegging is reduced as the constant TURN ANGLE becomes the controlling term in the equation A value for TURN SLOPE of 110 in units of 10 degrees per mph has been experimentally determined to be a good value for vehicles on typical roads Corner Pegging Formula TURN THRESHOLD TURN ANGLE 10 x TURN SLOPE SPEED The above formula is based on the reality of how a mobile station executes turns when traveling at slow speed it can turn acute angles but when traveling at high speeds it turns only shallow angles In other words TURN THRESHOLD varies inversely with speed at a low speed the threshold becomes large while at a high speed the threshold becomes small To prevent the Corner Pegging beacon from transmitting too often and causing QRM there is a timer value called TURN TIME The Corner Pegging position beacon is not transmitted until TURN TIME seconds have elapsed since the previous beacon transmission regardless of which method Corner Pegging or Variable Rate Beaconing caused the previous beacon Table 6 4 Conditions for Corner Pegging Operati
36. The above URL links are available as on the date written at the end and subject to change 5 2 Available Software associated with APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 41 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS While monitoring APRS stations from around the world that may appear on your map you can easily send messages to them An interest is now growing in APRS QSOs where one station may call CQ looking for responses in the conventional style of a ham contact Due to the number of characters being restricted it can be customary to send short sentences using abbreviated words similar to operating CW Searching for weather information can reveal that even adjacent nearby areas can have dramatically differing weather patterns Or operating outdoors and timing transmissions to coincide with overhead satellite passes can result in successful satellite communications using only a handheld transceiver The opportunities for many activities exist even without installing a fixed station at home Below are two APRS operational examples In USA and Canada the national APRS frequency is 144 390 MHz Incorporating an internal GPS unit TH D72A E permits APRS operations on its own Needless to say it is also suitable for outdoor mobile operations When traveling outdoors with the handheld transceiver in hand you can search for nearby stations with position beacons to exchange text messages and establish voice contact To enjoy APRS operation in unfavorable locations s
37. There are many examples of data sources that have been implemented in some local areas Traffic speeds at select choke points refer to http aprs org traffic html MF Mobile Satellites in view refer to http aprs org satinfo html UI InfoKiosk local info database refer to http www apritch myby co uk infokiosk htm 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR TH D72A E CONTENTS 13 Contribution by Kenwood to APRS Kenwood has developed its series of radios TH D7A E TM D700A E TM D710A E and now the new TH D72A E to best support the original objectives of APRS The display of APRS information on the front panel of these radios gives the mobile operator instantaneous access to all local information being provided on the APRS channel about all surrounding ham radio activities There are many APRS clients and programs that have been written that sometimes have concentrated too much on the display of maps and vehicle positions while leaving out much of the original fundamentals of APRS and the efficiency of the APRS network The Kenwood radios avoid such an over simplistic approach to APRS by implementing a rich and diverse function set The function set includes almost all of the original functions of APRS that are meant to reinforce the concept of distributing local information The Kenwood radios are not just Vehicle Tracking Systems but are designed to be real time information distribution systems for mobile
38. anel of their TH D72A E or TM D710A E while traveling in new areas The Message function closely resembles other amateur radio modes since it consists of exchanging messages with hams You can send a message by entering a callsign of the message recipient You ll receive an acknowledgment ACK message back when the targeted station receives the message You can also enjoy group messaging by using a group name instead of a callsign A group name can be configured via Menu 3S0 In addition there is a bulletin function Using bulletins you can report on upcoming events or other information to a large collection of users over a broad region The Automatic Reply Message function replies to messages that you receive while you are driving and you can pre configure a message response such as Pse QRX Will return at 12 35 When using TH D7A E or TM D700A E a response message was returned to all message senders But beginning with TH D72A E or TM D710A E an individual can be selected to receive a reply 6 1 6 2 Receiving QSY Information 6 1 6 3 QSY Functions and EchoLink 6 1 7 Message Function 6 1 7 1 Automatic Reply Function 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 50 CONTENTS TH D72A E You can configure callsigns to which you want to reply When the wildcard is used the transceiver will respond to all message senders But if you set W6DJY the transceiver will reply only to W6DJY Configuring W6 will trigger a reply
39. artBeaconing Figure 8 11 Graphs of SmartBeaconing 8 5 Introduction to Main Functions 8 5 1 Simple Operation 8 5 2 Graphical Display of SmartBeaconing 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 74 CONTENTS TH D72A E The font sizes used in the various windows can be selected from three choices In the Font of the View pulldown menu the font size can be selected from Normal Large or Extra Large Note Use an Operating System function to change the size of characters on the Menu bar If you select a font other than Normal some of the displayed items may not fit within a window Your callsign can be set to be displayed on the MCP 4A Configure your callsign in the Callsign Setting window in the Setup pulldown menu The character string is shown in the Splash window when the software starts in the About MCP 4A dialog box and in the Title bar In addition when the Callsign is configured the character string configured will be played back using Morse code when the software starts Note Depending on your particular computer used it may not be possible to play back Morse code Almost all the configuration data of memory channels and menus created on MCP 4A can be exported in HTML format that can be viewed in a typical Internet browser Select Export from the File pulldown menu and enter a file name to save in the Save window In MCP 4A RSS update information can
40. ase d indicates Narrow DCS code of 023 Encoding Decoding Plus Shift A default offset frequency is applied Minus Shift A default offset frequency is applied 500 Plus Shift 5 MHz Offset 060 Minus Shift 600 kHz Offset The value of the Offset shall be a 3 digit number x 10 kHz 50 kHz step Note For detailed information on the QSY Function format refer to the following link http aprs org info freqspec txt The TH D72A E transceiver complies with the standard which was proposed by Bob Bruninga WB4APR 6 1 6 QSY Function 6 1 6 1 Transmitting QSY Information 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 48 CONTENTS TH D72A E Configuration Example Insert one space after the frequency before entering Wide Narrow Tone CTCSS DCS and Shift Offset 446 100 MHz Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Wide band FM Tone frequency None Simplex 446 100 MHz T071 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Wide band FM Tone frequency of 71 9 Hz Simplex 446 100 MHz 0071 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Narrow band FM Tone frequency of 71 9 Hz Simplex 446 100 MHz C100 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Wide band FM CTCSS frequency of 100 Hz Simplex 446 100 MHz c100 Voice frequency configured for 446 100 MHz Narrow band FM CTCSS frequency of 100 Hz Simplex 446
41. at UITRACE reports the full relay path of digipeaters that were used to relay the message UITRACE is the most powerful and traceable digipeating function in APRS It is the basis of the New N paradigm discussed in 7 4 Digipeaters Therefore with UITRACE activated On upon receipt of a UI frame by a digipeater with a character string for alias in the form XXXXn N where XXXX matches the alias character string in the digipeater the digipeater subtracts 1 from N and processes the packet reporting each of the previous digipeaters This causes the digipeater itself to produce a frame length that becomes longer as the message is relayed Using UITRACE allows you to confirm the exact routing of any message Like UIDIGI and UIFLOOD UITRACE should normally never be enabled by a mobile except in very unusual circumstances Figure 7 7 Using UITRACE 7 4 2 UIFLOOD 7 4 3 UITRACE My Callsign W4DJY 1 UIflood On Alias MD Substitution ID WB4APR 7 gt APK103 MD3 3 Test WB4APR 7 gt APK103 W4DJY 1 MD3 2 Test My Callsign W5DJY 1 UIflood On Alias MD Substitution ID WB4APR 7 gt APK103 W5DJY 1 MD3 1 Test My Callsign W4DJY 1 UItrace On Alias WIDE WB4APR 7 gt APK103 WIDE2 2 Test WB4APR 7 gt APK103 W4DJY 1 WIDE2 1 Test My Callsign W5DJY 1 UItrace On Alias WIDE WB4APR 7 gt APK103 W4DJY 1 W5DJY 1 WIDE2 Test 7 APRS NETWORKS TH D72A E CONTENTS 59 Although UITRACE using the normal APRS n
42. at digi hears them first we recommend the WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 path Notice how the second entry is already decremented to 2 1 so that the result of this combination is still the national 2 hop recommendation The reason we do not suggest a 2 hop pair of WIDE1 1 WIDE1 1 is because it causes unnecessary dupes in those fill in areas which are incapable of recognizing dupes Also we strongly discourage any fixed station from using WIDE1 1 as the first hop Because it is not necessary and causes the same problems with multiple dupes The SSn N path The SSn N path which can also be SSSn N or SSSSn N is a special path for a given communications geographical area Typically SS is the standard abbreviation for States in the USA but many large states are divided into two or more ARRL communication sections So a 3 or 4 letter SSSn N designation is also appropriate These paths are used by these special communications organizations for state or section wide nets or for drills or for emergencies Depending on N these packets can hit every digipeater in the state or section but will not go into other areas no matter how big N is A typical value is SS3 3 or more For example using WIDE3 3 from the middle of Maryland would not only hit all digipeaters in Maryland but also dozens of digipeaters in the 5 surrounding states This would be very bad practice But using MD3 3 would hit every digi in Maryland and nowhere else In fact MD5 5 would be no worse than MD3
43. ation This document was created for the product using the following design specifications TH D72A E an external GPS unit and Weather Station available marketplaces TH D72A E with firmware version 1 02 or later About Copyright Copyright of this Manual and Software About this Manual TH D72A E Cover 3 Windows and Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries Windows Vista and NET Framework are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries Kenwood Corporation is a licensee of and entitled to use the APRS trademark and protocols from APRS Engineering LLC APRS Automatic Packet Reporting System is a registered trademark of WB4APR Bob Bruninga TravelPlus for Repeaters is a registered trademark of American Radio Relay League Inc SmartBeaconing is a trademark of HamHUD Nichetronix LLC EchoLink is a registered trademark of Synergenics LLC Dayton Hamvention is a registered trademark of DARA Incorporation All other product names referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers and are omitted in this manual About Registered Trademark TH D72A E I CONTENTS 1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 1 1 1 GPS Unit 1 1 2 Evolving
44. be displayed on the tool bar RSS is a file format designed to provide update information of news sites or blogs Configuring RSS enables receipt of update information automatically To configure an RSS select MCP Setting from the Setup pulldown menu to display the RSS tab Click the Add button and enter the target URL and Name Click the OK button to newly add the RSS to the RSS list Selecting the checkbox enables the setting and the update information of the registered RSS is received and displayed on the tool bar The time interval to obtain the update information from the registered RSS s web site and the time to display the updated information on the RSS bar can be configured Figure 8 12 RSS Tool Bar 8 5 3 Changing the Font Sizes 8 5 4 Setting your Callsign 8 5 5 Exporting hmk Files 8 5 6 Configuring RSS 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 75 MCP 4A allows selection of a bitmap image which appears on the transceiver display when the transceiver s power is turned on Different images can be configured for GPS Only mode and for Normal mode From the Edit pulldown menu select Menu gt Radio Click on the Custom Start up Screen checkbox in Power on or GPS Logger Clicking the Bitmap File button activates a dialog box to open a file Select a bitmap file to be used Writing the configuration data to the transceiver will change
45. can be configured to navigate to your favorite APRS station The GPS receiver used must be based on NMEA 0183 format http www nmea org The following RS 232C signal levels are allowed for using the TH D72A E Low level 15 V to 0 5 V High level 3 0 V to 15 V You cannot use a GPS receiver with a USB connector 4 2 GPS Receivers 4 2 1 Garmin GPS18xPC 4 2 2 AvMap G5 4 2 3 Other GPS Receivers Weather Station External GPS receiver COM terminal Line filter 5 3 2 GND RXD TXD White to DATA IN on GPS WS Red to DATA OUT on GPS WS Shield to GND on GPS WS solder side DB 9 connector Male Attach the line filter to the cable Kenwood service part L79 1417 05 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 27 For APRS always configure the WGS 84 Geodetic Survey System for your GPS receiver The GPS unit is mounted on the upper surface of the body The GPS unit incorporates SiRFstar III chipset that is highly accepted in the market Figure 4 4 Internal GPS Unit During the GPS positioning you can check the current status on the GPS satellite information display The GPS satellite information display provides real time data of the sky view satellites signal strength and status of the positioning The display also helps you to get better reception by changing the direction of the GPS antenna or making any other adjustments 1 Sky View The positions of the satellites indi
46. cated by the satellite numbers are plotted on the satellite location chart The satellite location chart shows the azimuth and elevation of the satellites The outer circle expresses the 360 of the azimuth The sign of N at the top indicates North the right corresponds to East the bottom to South and the left to West accordingly The elevation is represented by the proximity to the center the outer circle shows 0 horizontal position and the center indicates 90 zenith Observing the satellites positions you can see they move little by little over time 2 Signal strength of the satellite The signal strength is indicated by the bars appearing on the top of each satellite number The bar is based on a 15 point scale The solid bar indicates the satellite is used for GPS positioning and only the frame of the bar means the signal of the satellite is received but not used for positioning 3 Status of positioning 2D indicates the unit receives signals from three GPS satellites to perform two dimensional positioning with latitude and longitude 3D means the unit receives signals from more than four GPS satellites to perform three dimensional positioning with latitude longitude and altitude 4 2 4 Settings for Geodetic Survey System 4 3 Internal GPS 4 3 1 GPS Satellite Information Display 4 GPS 28 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 4 5 GPS Satellite Information Display To display the position informat
47. d not to the AX 25 Packet communication between transceivers AvMap G6 has many of the normal Personal Navigator data fields that you would find in most world brand GPS units but AvMap developers have integrated the Kenwood sentence format to provide you a Tactical Mode No other standalone GPS system has this exclusive Kenwood AvMap feature If you are involved in a search and rescue scenario you can assign one of your APRS assets callsigns the target designation for Tactical Mode This designated callsign on each position report is processed by AvMap for easy viewing and tracking If you are using the TH D72A E with the AvMap in Tactical mode you will get an additional five data fields that can be displayed on your AvMap Target ID Callsign Target Lat Long Target SOG Speed over Ground Target COG Course over Ground Target Altitude Mean sea level You can choose three of these five data fields to display on the AvMap screen So when your target callsign is moving you can get real time information and a visual display on the AvMap G6 The AvMap operating system now uses full APRS icon representation The decoded APRS packet from the Kenwood TM D710A E in Kenwood WAYPOINT format is processed by the AvMap G6 operating system When a mark is made on the screen it now can be one of over 200 standardized APRS icons along with the callsign Setup of the Kenwood transceiver with AvMap is very simple Usi
48. d the weather observation equipment use the same connector combined use is not possible You will begin to acquire meteorological data from the weather observation equipment 5 to 10 minutes after powering up the transceiver Meteorological data that is received from other stations is displayed in the Station List details on the fifth page As shown below the information is easy to understand Figure 6 11 Display of Meteorological Data 6 2 1 2 Peet Bros Company 5th page 6th page TH D72A E CONTENTS 53 7 APRS NETWORKS In the beginning APRS networks consisted only of general packet transmissions through digital repeaters To expand network coverage much further HF gateway stations that were interfaced with the VHF stations were added This arrangement evolved still further when it became common for personal computers to be connected with the Internet Internet gateways provided another way to expand APRS coverage APRServe developed by Mr Steve Dimse K4HG allows information that is gathered from the Internet to be transferred to client computers The worldwide APRS network was completed The service is called APRS IS APRS Internet Service At present there are several basic servers that are called Core servers under which a number of local servers called Tier 2 servers work and are located worldwide in each participating country Later Pete Loveall AE5PL developed javAPRSSrvr to establish a Tier 2 distribution system t
49. d usage information http www ui view org Note The above URL link is subject to change If the link is broken search for UI View32 using any Internet search engine to quickly locate the appropriate home page Figure 5 1 APRS Stations Display 5 1 UI View32 5 1 1 Introduction of UI View32 5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 38 CONTENTS TH D72A E Use the USB cable that comes with the TH D72A E to connect the PC USB connector on the rear of the TH D72A E operation panel to the USB connector on your personal computer Figure 5 2 For use of UI View32 with the TH D72A E for APRS communications the TH D72A E needs to be placed in KISS mode KISS Keep It Simple Stupid mode is a special mode to allow a PC to control the TNC protocols 1 Press the TNC key to place the TH D72A E in packet mode Ensure that PACKET12 appears and the transceiver is placed in packet mode 2 Open the Comms Setup window from the Setup pulldown menu in the UI View32 3 In the Comms Setup window configure for UI View32 the communication conditions of the PC terminals in the TH D72A E as follows Baud Rate 9600 Data Bits 8 Stop Bits 1 Parity None Com port the same port number of a PC as that is assigned to the virtual COM port of the TH D72A E Figure 5 3 Comms Setup Window 4 From the Host mode dropdown list select KISS and click the Setup button next to it 5 The KISS Setup window opens Selecting TNC2
50. d when the heading difference the compass heading of the present direction of travel subtracted from the compass heading transmitted in the previous position beacon exceeds the threshold value The heading difference is the compass heading of the present direction of travel in degrees subtracted from the compass heading transmitted in the previous position beacon Technical note only the absolute value of the heading difference normalized to the first and second quadrants is used The threshold value called TURN THRESHOLD combines a fixed angle threshold called TURN ANGLE with a constant called TURN SLOPE times ten divided by the present speed You can use the formula below to calculate TURN THRESHOLD Menu Item Configured Value LOW SPEED 5 HIGH SPEED 70 SLOW RATE 30 minutes FAST RATE 120 seconds Speed TX interval Time FAST RATE HIGH SPEED Speed 80 120 seconds 2 minutes 70 120 seconds 2 minutes 60 140 seconds 2 minutes and 20 seconds 50 168 seconds 2 minutes and 48 seconds 40 210 seconds 3 minutes and 30 seconds 30 280 seconds 4 minutes and 40 seconds 20 420 seconds 7 minutes 10 840 seconds 14 minutes 5 1680 seconds 28 minutes 0 1800 seconds 30 minutes 6 1 5 2 Corner Pegging Transmission after Heading Change 25 20 35 30 15 10 5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Speed Speed vs TX Interval Time TX Interval Time min 6 OPERA
51. e second row of the display Indicates the firmware version of the Built in TNC Figure 9 1 Verifying Firmware Versions 1 Press 2 TNC on TH D72A E to display APRSxx 2 Turn the power OFF Connect the communication cable to the transceiver itself 3 Turn the power of the transceiver ON 4 Start MCP 4A and select Transceiver Information from the Model pulldown menu Figure 9 2 Verifying Firmware Versions 9 3 How to Verify Firmware Version 9 3 1 Checking with the Transceiver 9 3 2 Checking with MCP 4A 9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE 78 CONTENTS TH D72A E Download the latest version of update software from the Kenwood web site URL shown below URL is subject to change http www kenwood com i products info amateur software_download html Carefully read the update instructions provided when you download the software Begin the procedure only after you understand the provided instructions Table 9 2 Firmware Update Summary Table Note XXX is a 3 digit numeric version number During the routine update there are automatic resets executed several times Therefore ensure you back up all configuration data and channel data prior to beginning the firmware update To restore the backup data ensure using MCP 4A prior to writing data back to the transceiver all data is correct The software update for TNC is not available on the web site The current firmware version of TNC is 1 00 as
52. ed Step 10 Step 13 Battery Saver Step 14 Frequency Step 15 Setting to APRS mode Step 16 Transmitting beacons 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 17 Follow the explanations below to configure each item listed in the previous section To enter the time in your local zone select Menu 196 Auxiliary Time Zone Example Set to 05 00 for Atlanta Figure 3 1 Menu 196 Auxiliary Time Zone Press the F MARK keys to enable the internal GPS unit Once the internal GPS unit starts positioning iGPS pictogram blinks the built in clock is automatically configured with the time data from the internal GPS unit Figure 3 2 Display of Time and Date To enter the value for the data select Menu 194 Auxiliary Date K type USA and Canada Set month date year in this order E type Europe Set date month year in this order Example To configure the date to be May 20 2011 K type refer to Figure 3 3 Figure 3 3 Menu 194 Auxiliary Date 3 2 Configuration 3 2 1 Built in Clock 3 2 1 1 Activating Your Mobile GPS Position 3 2 1 2 Setting Manually in the Menu 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 18 CONTENTS TH D72A E Select Menu 195 Auxiliary Time and enter the value for the time Example To configure the time to be12 00 refer to Figure 3 4 Figure 3 4 Menu 195 Auxiliary Time To enter your own callsign select Menu 300 APRS Bas
53. eral recommendation for permanent digipeaters installed at a high location Digipeat Digipeat MyCall On UIdigipeat UIdigi On Aliases SAR other local paths can be defined here Note SAR stands for Search and Rescue UIflood UIflood On Alias SS or SSS Substitution ID UItrace UItrace On Alias WIDE New N Paradigm In 2004 the recommendations for APRS path configuration were drastically simplified And this was called the New N Paradigm This plan eliminated all use of the simple paths of RELAY WIDE and TRACE We recommend you to avoid any references to these paths and ignore them Instead the New N Paradigm introduced three major routing paths WIDEn N SSn N and TEMPn N There n N is set to the number of hops usually 2 2 or less WIDEn N National Standard The WIDEn N path was designated the National Standard so that it would work everywhere and should be used for routine operations Limiting the hops to 2 hops or less assures that the packets cover the local area and region and will get to an IGate somewhere And at the same time the packets do not go any farther or add unwanted interference in other areas This drastically improved the efficiency and reliability of the APRS national network The only disadvantage of the WIDEn N standard was that digipeaters could only be built with specialized modern APRS TNC hardware and could not take advantage of thousands of old TNC f
54. esource channel for facilitating human to human communication on Amateur Radio To see how this fits in it is first necessary to understand the history of APRS and packet radio Packet Radio History The roots of the Automatic Packet Reporting System APRS go back to the late 1970s as the AMRAD Amateur Radio Research and Development Group was excitedly beginning to experiment with AX 25 packet radio This was before the Internet and as we spent our free time in our shacks we were in fact all socially networked by the AMRAD voice repeater All evening and weekends someone was working on something or developing something new and sharing the excitement with the others We hung onto our handy transceivers everywhere we went like kids these days hang onto their iPads and smartphones to keep up with the excitement Figure 2 1 The History of APRS from VIC 20 to TH D72A E Since only RTTY was legal in the USA we developed a RTTY chat channel to augment our repeater communications We wanted a digital channel that worked just like a voice repeater That is anyone who had info transmitted it and everyone monitoring captured it Advancing from RTTY AMRAD developed the AX 25 spec and as soon as it was legal we were on the air as a chat group using real time Unconnected UI packet messaging For this technical group the only AMRAD operational event was communications support for the annual Old Dominion 100 mile endurance run In the mid 1980s the first
55. etwork path of WIDEn N can be a problem if mobiles activate their digipeater at the wrong time it is also so powerful that it is a shame not to be able to use it easily if required For this reason all APRS mobiles are encouraged to activate the UITRACE permanently BUT using the alias of TEMP instead of WIDE This always makes possible use of the mobile as a TEMPn N digipeater while avoiding the problem of adding interference to the normal use of WIDEn N Figure 7 8 Using UITRACE 2 Following are two configuration examples of a fill in digipeater fill in type digipeater and a WIDE digipeater Wide type digipeater Example 1 This example shows configuration for a typical TH D72A E fill in type digipeater for general use in routine operation Digipeat Digipeat MyCall On UIdigipeat UIdigi On Aliases WIDE1 1 UIflood UIflood On Alias SS or SSS where SS or SSS is the abbreviation of state or ARRL section Substitution ID UItrace UItrace Off Alias TEMP 7 4 4 Configuration Examples USA W4DJY 1 W5DJY 1 WB4APR 7 gt APK103 TEMP1 1 WIDE2 2 Test All mobiles can act as TEMPn N digis all the time if needed for emergency WB4APR 7 gt APK103 TEMP1 WIDE2 2 Test WB4APR 7 gt APK103 TEMP1 W4DJY 1 WIDE2 1 Test WB4APR 7 gt APK103 TEMP1 W4DJY 1 W5DJY 1 WIDE2 Test Not working 7 APRS NETWORKS 60 CONTENTS TH D72A E Example 2 This is a gen
56. g Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 1 min approx 1 min approx 1 min G P S O F F GPS OFF GPS OFF GPS OFF Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 5 min approx 8 min approx 4 min approx 1 min approx 2 min 4 GPS 32 CONTENTS TH D72A E The GPS unit has two operation modes Normal and GPS Only modes In the Normal mode you can use the functions of the transceiver and of the internal GPS unit at the same time In the GPS Only mode you cannot use it as a normal transceiver Operating in the GPS Only mode will enable a longer battery working time If you wish to use the TH D72A E as a GPS logger we recommend setting to the GPS Only mode Table 4 2 Battery Life You can use Menu 200 GPS Int GPS Operating Mode to set to the GPS Only mode When the operating mode is set the transceiver restarts in the set mode In the GPS Only mode the internal GPS unit is always ON Also following is a display that appears instead of the frequency display Figure 4 17 GPS Only Display The internal GP
57. gure 4 1 GPS IIR Satellite in Orbit The GPS receiver receives the radio signals transmitted from the GPS satellites and measures the time duration between when the signal leaves the satellite and when the signal arrives at the GPS receiver The receiver measures the time duration between when the signal leaves the satellite and when the signal arrives at the GPS receiver Knowing this time allows calculation of the distance that the signal traveled from that particular satellite By receiving multiple signals from different satellites and doing this distance calculation multiple times the intersection of the spherical surfaces that represent the respective radius distances to the various satellites will determine a single point The precision of the determination of the intersecting point relies on the satellites and the data collected 4 1 What is GPS 4 1 1 Position Determination Principle 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 25 The latitude and longitude information required by the GPS receiver does not allow for accurate representation of the unevenness of the Earth s surface For use with GPS the current standard that defines the precise shape of the Earth is called WGS 84 By using this standard in conjunction with mapping standards for each country accurate position plotting on a map can be done Although position can be described in many different formats such as degrees degrees and minutes and degrees minutes and seconds the GPS system
58. have properly if connecting through a USB hub Download and install the virtual COM port driver to make a USB connection possible for command communications via a USB connector Virtual COM Port Driver http www kenwood com i products info amateur vcp_e html This firmware updating program cannot read and write user data such as menu items and memory channel frequencies If you do not wish to lose user data save the data using the MCP 4A Memory Control Program prior to updating the firmware and writing the data back after updating the firmware 9 1 Firmware 9 2 Verifying Necessary Equipment Computer Required Specification Operating System Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or later 32 bit 64 bit or Windows 7 32 bit 64 bit CPU CPU or compatible CPU that is equivalent or superior to the CPU recommended for the Operating System Memory More than OS recommended capacity Hard Disk 30 MB or more free space Communication Port USB 2 0 interface 9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE TH D72A E CONTENTS 77 You can view the firmware version by the procedure below Use one of the following two ways of verifying 1 Press 2 TNC on TH D72A E to display APRSxx 2 Turn the power OFF 3 Hold ENT down and turn the power ON 4 Verify the following is displayed Number on the first row of the display Indicates the firmware version of the transceiver Number on th
59. he Kenwood radios provide the mobile user with full two way messaging and display This real time human to human communications is what makes APRS so valuable in support of special events and emergencies 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 14 CONTENTS TH D72A E Field Data Entry In addition to making excellent field data display devices the TH D72A E menus have also been designed for easy data position and message entry Often overlooked is the ability to use TH D7A E TM D700A E and TM D710A E as excellent field data entry and clipboard entry devices at many field events Refer to http aprs org aprsevent html Individual Information Access The Kenwood individual radio displays enhance the distribution of ham radio information to a large number of users by giving them individual front panel and keypad access to all of the online APRS data A common mistake of fixed operations with computers is the use of large display screens for large groups to see but which fails to recognize the individual needs of a given viewer The individuality of APRS radios with individual displays spreads this data access throughout the users in the field Overlay Characters on all Symbols The Kenwood TH D72A E has been expanded to show the overlay character of all symbols not just the original subset of special symbols This provides hundreds of new symbol combinations for better APRS application to new
60. ic Set My Callsign Example Enter a callsign such as W6DJY 7 to be registered Refer to Figure 3 5 Figure 3 5 Menu 300 Basic Set My Callsign To determine a beacon type select Menu 301 APRS Basic Set Beacon Type Generally beacons are transmitted in APRS format so selecting APRS enables a transceiver to transmit beacons in APRS format Figure 3 6 Menu 301 Basic Set Beacon Type 3 2 2 My Callsign 3 2 3 Beacon Type 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 19 To configure the data band select Menu 310 APRS Int TNC Data Band Figure 3 7 Menu 310 Int TNC Data Band To configure the data speed select Menu 311 APRS Int TNC Data Speed Figure 3 8 Menu 311 Int TNC Data Speed Press the F MARK keys to enable the internal GPS unit Once the internal GPS unit starts positioning iGPS pictogram blinks the position data from the unit become available Figure 3 9 APRS Operating Frequency To use with an external GPS receiver disable the internal GPS unit To configure for a GPS terminal select Menu 331 APRS COM Port Baud Rate 4800 bps select the same baud rate as that is configured for a GPS receiver Input GPS enable the GPS receiver Output OFF if no WAYPOINT DGPS are used 3 2 4 Data Band 3 2 5 Packet Speed 3 2 6 Position 3 2 6 1 Using Internal GPS 3 2 6 2 Using GPS Receivers 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATI
61. ion display GPGSV or GPGSA should be selected in Menu 211 GPS Setup Sentence While the internal GPS unit is active the transceiver s built in clock is automatically configured with the time and date from the internal GPS unit While the internal GPS unit is inactive set the clock manually Timing of automatic adjustments First positioning after the power is turned ON Once in 24 hours The moment the built in clock reads 00 00 if the internal GPS unit is positioning the time data from the GPS unit is set to the radio s built in clock Figure 4 6 Time and Date Display North Up keeps North at the top of the display This is convenient when checking your destination or the location direction of another station on a printed map In contrast Heading Up keeps your traveling direction at the top So when traveling to a destination or another station by car or any other mode of traveling the display conveniently allows one to definitely know which way to go at a crossing in real time Thus it can be used as a portable navigation device Pressing the F key in the Time Altitude Travel direction speed display Target point distance Travel direction display or Station List menu display switches between North Up and Heading Up 4 3 2 Automatic Adjustment of the Built in Clock 4 3 3 North Up and Heading Up 4 GPS TH D72A E CONTENTS 29 Time Altitude Travel direction speed
62. is visible Also we can see that this radio is in OPERATING range of three voice repeaters that are also identifying themselves as objects on APRS as the locally recommended voice operating channels The TH D72A E on the right has two ham calls two tactical calls and one repeater object It is easy to find these nearby frequencies in the huge station list by first doing a SORT This brings all the numeric objects in this case frequencies to the top of the list But there is more The standard for these frequency objects also includes Tone Shift and bandwidth for instant tuning In addition they include the weekly on air voice net times as well as the monthly club meeting dates as shown below 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 10 CONTENTS TH D72A E Although the information appears a bit cryptic the fact that all voice repeater objects use this same standard format makes it easy for the operator to understand the meaning In this case the local recommended voice repeater in this area is the 147 105 Maryland repeater with a Tone of 107 2 Hz The range is 25 miles and the weekly net time is Tuesday evenings at 8 p m The final 8 characters for backwards compatibility to TM D700A E announce that the club meetings are on the 3rd Thursday of every month Again a press of the MENU button and then selecting TUNE will instantly take the radio to this channel For full details on this function refer to
63. ld think of the combination as real time Facebook on APRS Unfortunately it was ahead of its time and the VC H1 handheld is no longer in production but thousands of hams have them and still use them These SSTV handhelds along with readily available free SSTV software make a great visual adjunct to APRS This was in the early 2000 time frame before anyone had camera phones Think of the potential Snap an image and send it into APRS where it was picked up by a web site that cataloged it by position originator and a text description for viewing by anyone This can be a tremendous asset for ham radio public service There are a few such active links from APRS and SSTV to the web called the Automatic Picture Relay Network or APRN Refer to http aprs org aprn html APRS Voice Alert Three things dramatically brought back human connectivity to APRS The first factor was Voice Alert The second was the addition of a Frequency field in all APRS position packets And the third was the emergence of VOIP Internet ham radio linked voice Voice alert is like a 3rd simultaneous radio channel on the Kenwood APRS transceivers It acts like an intercom channel for all APRS operators to be able to quickly raise another nearby APRS voice alert station by a simple direct voice call It required no new hardware or software It simply consists of setting CTCSS 100 Hz on the APRS data channel and keeping the speaker volume up This way all packet noise was comp
64. le to exchange data between above mentioned transceivers except TH D72A E MCP 4A cannot read DTMF memory and other menu settings Although you may be able to import an MCP file type that is not included in the above tables some data in the file may not be read into the MCP 4A program MCP 4A can read GPS log data recorded on the TH D72A E The read GPS log data can be viewed with a map software program This section describes how to read GPS log data Select Read GPS Logger Data from the Transceiver from the Program pulldown menu Data from a GPS Logger and Waypoints can be read Select the checkbox of the desired data Pressing the Read button will start reading the data The data is saved as a NMEA file When the reading is complete a screen appears to prompt you to select whether or not you want the GPS log data in the transceiver to be deleted The read data cannot be written onto the transceiver again Software Name and Extension Transceiver Model Remarks MCP G707 707 TM G707A Dedicated only for USA and Canada Unable to use other than K type USA and Canada of TM G707 due to command specification differences DTSS is ignored MCP V7 v7 TM V7A Dedicated only for USA and Canada Unable to use other than K type USA and Canada of TM V7 due to command specification differences DTSS is ignored MCP G71 71 TH G71A Dedicated only for USA and Canada Unable to use other than K type USA
65. letely muted but the operator could still be called at any time with a CTCSS 100 Hz voice call A secondary benefit to this technique was a free proximity detector If any other Voice Alert station got within simplex range maybe 5 miles or less his periodic packets would give an audible alert These new features of APRS Voice Alert as indicated in the APRS Mobile Information Exchange drawing above finally made it easy to keep the eyes on the road but never miss the opportunity for human contact with a fellow APRS operator on the open road Voice Alert is now on the Function Menu in the TH D72A E Frequency Data Field At the nearly same time 2004 the Frequency field was added to the position packet specification This standardized the inclusion of a voice operating frequency in the APRS system APRS was never intended as an end in itself but as a tool to be applied to all aspects of ham radio and human contact Knowing other station s voice contact frequency in many cases is even more important for establishing communications than knowing position Now every ham could announce his monitoring frequency in his APRS packet and could call others on their indicated frequency Kenwood was the first to leverage the value of this capability by releasing the TM D710A E in 2007 This radio as well as the new TH D72A E not only automatically includes your voice band frequency in every position packet but can also then tune to someone else s frequency by
66. log data recorded on the TH D72A E can be read to a PC and displayed on map software Create manage and edit memory channel menu data and GPS log data for TH D72A E in the enhanced MCP 4A program to maximize your enjoyment of these transceivers Figure 8 1 MCP 4A Memory Channel Window 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 65 1 Check that the specifications for your computer meet the following that are necessary to use MCP 4A Table 8 1 MCP 4A Computer Specifications Table Note If using Windows XP it is necessary to install the Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later on the PC Windows Vista and Windows 7 do not require NET Framework since this newer version of Windows already contains the necessary environment software To determine if Microsoft NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later is installed on your computer with Windows XP click Control Panel gt Add or Remove Programs and check in the list of installed software If the list includes NET Framework 2 0 Service Pack 1 or later another installation is not necessary NET Framework Run time can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site A virtual COM port driver needs to be installed onto the PC to use the MCP 4A with a USB cable Do not connect the transceiver to a PC using a USB cable before installing the virtual COM port driver Virtual COM Port
67. ly the fully traceable WIDEn N algorithm The APRS network was universally upgraded to just the one simple and traceable WIDEn N concept This operating standard was called the New N Paradigm Since its adoption most areas have seen many improvements in local area APRS reliability In most areas the number of hops should be no more than 2 hops This was because additional hops just add too much network load and too much interference from stations far away The following sections explain configuration of the TH D72A E for use with digipeaters With UIDIGI activated On when a digipeater receives a UI frame with a character string for alias such as RELAY WIDE1 1 etc that matches the alias character string in the digipeater the digipeater repeats the packet substituting the callsign from the digipeater s My Callsign configuration and adding a completed flag UIDIGI should normally be off It is not good for mobiles to be digipeating all packets on the channel because it causes much interference But sometimes in special cases when a mobile is being used on top of a hill or in a special weak area to provide temporary emergency digipeating then UIDIGI can be enabled with the WIDE1 1 alias so that this mobile can serve as the first hop out of an area In this case the mobile station operates as the first hop of the first relay station for this area WIDE1 1 digipeating only operates on the first hop so there is not much damage to the netw
68. m Menu Read Data from the Transceiver 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 68 CONTENTS TH D72A E MCP 4A has many functions This section lists the useful functions of MCP 4A including added functions Simple operation Graphical display of SmartBeaconing Importing other MCP files Setting the font sizes Exporting html Files Configuring RSS Reading GPS log data Changing the power on bitmap image Configuring the character string for the power on password Changing the speed at which the switchover is made between Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing For details refer to sections of Decay Algorithm and of Proportional Pathing in the chapter of APRS IN ACTION 8 2 Main Functions of MCP 4A 8 2 1 Useful Functions of MCP 4A 8 2 2 Functions Only Configurable by MCP 4A 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 69 This section describes how to read a file To read a file select Open from the File pulldown menu select TH D72 MCP 4A File mc4 in the Files of type dropdown list and open the desired file created in TH D72A E With MCP 4A it is possible to read a file that was created using other MCP series software To read a file created by other MCP software select Open from the File pulldown menu select the correct file type in the Files of type dro
69. me factory set to enable automatic TEMPn N operation As a result not many TM D700A E operators have remembered to do this themselves But in the TM D710A E Kenwood has enabled TEMPn N digipeating from the factory thus assuring that this backup system is readily available everywhere there is a TM D700A E The new TH D72A E also comes pre loaded to support TEMPn N digipeating but it defaults to OFF so that these handhelds do not automatically start digipeating when someone uses the TEMPn N system But they can be enabled at any time with a simple menu item so that a TH D72A E handheld in a high location can act as a digipeater by anyone that needs it 7 APRS NETWORKS 62 CONTENTS TH D72A E Since all of these transceivers can be used as backup emergency digipeaters anytime anywhere someone that is unable to hit any digipeaters from their current location with either WIDEn N or SSn N can always try TEMP1 1 WIDE2 2 to get out Or if all the digipeaters in an area are off the air he can actually try TEMP2 2 to get two mobile hops or more to a temporary destination To further benefit this alternate backup digipeating technique some special battery powered backup digipeaters at high locations can also support this path in addition to WIDEn N and SSn N paths as a full time backup to the existing system It is necessary to confront the issue of frequency congestion due to the spread of APRS systems in order to efficiently transfer packet data pa
70. mputer by using the supplied USB cable Connecting weather stations The weather stations from Peet Bros Company Incorporated and Davis Instruments Corporation can be connected The acquired weather information can be displayed on the screen or transmitted in APRS format Digipeaters Digital Repeaters Packet signals can be relayed The transceiver can serve as a temporary relay station when you are on a trip or on other occasions TH D72 is the first handheld transceiver that has this function APRS LOCK This is a function to lock the settings of the data band during the operation of APRS to prevent the transceiver configuration from being changed accidentally For example locking the frequency of the data band locking the PTT switch and locking the TNC so that it could not be disabled without realizing it are all possible as a user prefers Cross tone Any combination with Tone CTCSS or DCS can be used For example you can use DCS for transmission and CTCSS for reception Automatic cursor advancement While entering characters of a menu name or an APRS message with the numerical keypad upon elapse of a specified period of time after one character is entered the cursor automatically moves to the next digit For example assume you need to enter AB both A and B must be entered with the same 2 key Upon lapse of a programmed duration of time e g 1 second after you enter
71. n Password 75 9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE 76 9 1 Firmware 76 9 2 Verifying Necessary Equipment 76 9 3 How to Verify Firmware Version 77 9 3 1 Checking with the Transceiver 77 9 3 2 Checking with MCP 4A 77 9 4 How to Get Latest Firmware Software 78 9 5 How to Update 78 10 MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS 79 10 1 AvMap Don Arnold W6GPS 79 11 APPENDIX 81 TH D72A E CONTENTS I Hams have enjoyed using FM transceivers for years for SSTV ATV packet satellite EME GPS and other communications modes A fundamental reason for this has been that FM transceivers are easy to use Recently personal computers and the Internet have combined to offer global communications opportunities Yet with their long history of communicating using various methods nobody is better prepared than hams to embrace and take advantage of these new communications techniques to create an even more interesting new global network No longer are users of FM transceivers bound by line of sight distances and local same city coverage The Internet now shrinks the vast distances to other operators who were once out of reach by using only an FM transceiver Every ham now meets experiments and interacts worldwide via voice and data communications using low p
72. n allows a user to thin the GPS log data If track points are too closely spaced on the map thinning the GPS log data can reduce the complexity Press the OK button in the Save Track dialog box and the Save screen will appear In the file type selection select Keyhole Markup Language File kml or GPS Exchange Format File gpx to save the data in KML or GPX format KML and GPX format data can be viewed in map programs that are compatible with these file types Figure 8 8 Save Track Dialog Box Figure 8 9 Save Screen of GPS data 8 4 3 Converting to KML or GPX File Format 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 73 The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the features referred to in 8 2 Main Functions of MCP 4A The configuration screens and writing and reading screens of the configuration data for MCP 4A can be displayed easily in the Simple Operation window The Simple Operation window appears when MCP 4A starts or alternatively can be displayed by selecting Simple Operation in the View pulldown menu Figure 8 10 Simple Operation Window The parameters set for SmartBeaconing can be viewed in the Rate Curve and the Turn Angle vs Speed graphs Changing the parameter values reflects the values in the Rate Curve and the Turn Angle vs Speed graphs The graphs provide visual representations of the SmartBeaconing operation to help a user easily configure Sm
73. n we developed TH D7A E series in 1997 it was difficult to incorporate an internal GPS unit in a handheld transceiver This was because at that time the GPS antenna and receive module were too large The advancement of technology has enabled the miniaturization of these components and today they are mounted in a wide array of a mobile device such as a cellular phone a GPS logger and a digital camera and is almost taken for granted If an external GPS unit was required for a successor to TH D7A E i e a handheld transceiver it would have been very cumbersome for a user to carry around more than one device as well as multiple batteries and cables connecting them Therefore we started the development of the TH D72A E with the concept of an out of the box product that delivers higher user convenience and with the basic premise of incorporating an internal GPS unit The internal GPS unit consists of a GPS receive module and a GPS antenna After repeated discussions to ensure enough GPS receive sensitivity and reliability we have finally adopted a GPS unit that integrates a receive module using a SiRFstar III chipset which is highly accepted in the market and a microstrip patch antenna Also we have separated the transceiver circuit and the GPS unit with an aluminum die cast frame to prevent mutual interference During the development we have conducted endless sessions of testing and experiment to compare the performance of the product in actual
74. ng the GPS unit continues searching for a satellite resulting the battery longevity To prevent unnecessary battery consumption this function will turn the GPS power source Off for the programmed duration of time if position data is not determined during the maximum capture time 5 minutes Set the timer through Menu 201 Possible choices are Off 1 min 2 min 4 min 8 min and Auto Figure 4 15 GPS Unit Behavior if 1 min is Selected Figure 4 16 GPS Unit Behavior if Auto is Selected Assumed uses of the TH D72A E include transmitting beacons on band A in APRS mode and transmitting voice on band B in dual band mode with the internal GPS unit on Following is the table that provides the estimated battery operating time Transmission 6 seconds reception 6 seconds standby 48 seconds Table 4 1 Battery Operating Time 4 3 5 Internal GPS Unit Save 4 3 6 Battery Operating Time during the Concurrent Use of the Internal GPS Unit Battery Type Operating Time Normal Mode Output Power High GPS Only Mode Internal GPS Inactive Internal GPS Active Internal GPS Active PB 45L lithium ion battery Approximately 6 hours Approximately 5 hours Approximately 35 hours G P S O F F G P S O F F G P S O F F G P S O F F Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catching Tracking Maximum Catching Time GPS ON Catchin
75. ng the defaults of the Kenwood transceiver only a few menu configurations are needed to set up the TH D72A E 10 1 AvMap Don Arnold W6GPS 10 MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS 80 CONTENTS TH D72A E Basic Setup Instructions for Kenwood TH D72A E Radio has been fully reset Menu 110 Battery Saver OFF 111 APO OFF 194 Date set 195 Time set 196 UTC offset 201 Battery Saver GPS OFF 300 Enter Call sign Push A B Band Key Set A Band to 144 390 F 1 Internal GPS off 330 COM port speed 9600 331 Input GPS 332 Output Waypoint 340 Format Kenwood 341 Length 9 Char Connect 3 pole connection to COM Port TH D72A E Connect 4 pole connection to AvMap TNC port Verify that the AvMap is in 9600 on the Interface page Figure 10 1 AvMap G6 and TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 81 11 APPENDIX Revision History Revision Date Summary of Changes May 15 2011 Release of the first edition We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the following hams who have helped to compile this booklet Mr Bob Bruninga WB4APR Mr Jonathan Taylor K1RFD Mr Steve Bragg KA9MVA and Mr Don Arnold W6GPS Also we would like to thank all hams who support and maintain the APRS and EchoLink network in the world Version 1 00 May 15 2011
76. not aware and had never tried it This was frustrating The reason was because while the hams were shunning real time APRS digital text communications the kids of the world were just getting going with texting and then Twitter on every conceivable handheld device Yet the entrenched amateur radio old timers could not see any value to APRS texting and emailing on a keypad As mentioned in the above illustration there are more than 26 different text systems available I counted over 26 different texting systems in ham radio as suggested in the image above Fortunately today just about every smartphone and handheld has an application for APRS message compatibility Our goal in APRS is to seamlessly integrate these disjointed systems so that a message to callsign from any device gets delivered to the callsign owner on any device that is currently turned on Many of these systems are already connected by APRS and the APRS Internet system APRS IS Refer to http aprs org aprs messaging html 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 8 CONTENTS TH D72A E Facebook on APRS Purely as an aside you can think back to the Kenwood VC H1 handheld SSTV device as an attempt before its time to add the visual aspect of social networking to ham radio and APRS This was a fantastic idea And it was fully integrated into all Kenwood APRS radios at the time adding real time video to APRS digital and texting connectivity You cou
77. o better handle regional APRS IS feeds The Internet part of the APRS system is called APRS IS APRS Internet Service There are basically two ways to use APRS IS effectively when operating APRS a client personal computer connected directly to Core Tier 2 servers and using amateur radio with IGate Internet gateway For client use a callsign is required but amateur radio equipment is not necessary You simply install APRS software such as UI View32 and AGWTracker on a personal computer configure the necessary station information and connect to an APRS server via the Internet With this arrangement you can enjoy the basic features of APRS such as transmitting your own station position exchanging messages and dispatch or receipt of weather information Using TH D72A E you can transmit your own packet signals via amateur radio and use APRS IS to access IGate IGate acts as a two way interface between the Internet and amateur radio packet signals The IGate function is obtained through various releases of APRS software and IGate is commonly available as a result of many volunteer amateur radio operators IGate connects directly to Core servers and Tier 2 servers and information received by amateur radio packet transmissions is transferred to the servers and server information can be passed via packet radio transmissions back to amateur radio operators Setting up an additional IGate station in an area that already has an existing IGate sta
78. o location information from other software as well as QSY information and repeater frequency object information embedded in status text You can confirm the QSY information that is received as embedded data by checking the voice frequency at the beginning of the status text on the Station List screen Press the OK key to display the List Detail screen press the MENU key then select Tune and the transceiver will change quickly to the non data band frequency Also on the Station List screen F will appear on the right side of the screen if QSY information is embedded This enables confirmation of the QSY information also on the Station List and just pressing the MENU key and then selecting Tune easily changes the frequency to the non data band Also if in addition to voice frequency Wide Narrow Tone CTCSS DCS Shit Offset frequency are also set in the status text selecting lt Tune gt will not only change to the voice frequency but switch between Wide Narrow and set Tone CTCSS DCS Figure 6 7 QSY Station List Screen EchoLink system operators can configure their nodes to generate APRS objects that contain their QSY Frequency information These beacons can either be transmitted locally on the APRS channel or generated directly to the APRS IS for dissemination back to RF via the local IGate station It is important for nearby traveling mobiles to see these QSY Frequency objects on their maps and the front p
79. o restrict packets to only be relayed within the specified boundary Abbreviations such as two letter AZ for Arizona or three or four letter abbreviations such as NCA for Northern California are used to specify the boundary Using these limited regions it is possible for stations to set up special nets under special circumstances to communicate over large distances without adding interference to other areas not involved For example using WIDE5 5 from the middle of Maryland would generate hundreds of packets of interference in 13 surrounding states This is why nothing larger than WIDE2 2 two hops is recommended However using MD5 5 from anywhere within the state of Maryland will get from any corner to every other corner of Maryland 13 digipeaters total and with no duplications Thus a special Maryland APRS net in support of disaster training can be held without bothering surrounding states 7 5 3 STATE SECTION REGION 64 CONTENTS TH D72A E 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E MCP 4A is a software designed for use with your personal computer to edit and manage memory channel and menu data for TH D72A E For convenience of users Kenwood distributes the software via our corporate web site as a free service for users In addition to the conventional functions the new version has a new function to manage GPS log data The read GPS log data can be converted into versatile KML or GPX format The GPS
80. on 6 1 8 APRS Lock 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 51 Weather observation equipment intended for use at home is becoming more common in the United States Using this equipment you can observe and measure wind direction wind velocity air temperature humidity rainfall atmospheric pressure etc This information can be useful to others when the data is gathered and transmitted in real time via APRS beacon transmissions These kinds of weather stations are installed in many parts of the world Some stations transmit NWS National Weather Service information The weather information from NWS is dispatched and converted for beacon use Local important information such as locations of nearby tornadoes as they are forming which have not been registered with central weather bureaus can be transmitted by APRS beacon The weather stations from Peet Bros Company and Davis Instruments Corp Inc can be connected in place of a GPS receiver via the GPS connector The weather observation equipment transfers the meteorological information with serial data and this data is transmitted via beacon transmissions using the APRS weather format Or you can monitor the meteorological data locally on the screen of the TH D72A E The information on rainfall air temperature wind direction wind velocity atmospheric pressure and humidity can be displayed Select Menu 331 APRS COM Port and configure the GPS terminal settings
81. on Table 6 5 Configuration Example Table 6 6 Corner Pegging Operation Example with TURN ANGLE 28 TURN SLOPE 26 Note When TURN THRESHOLD exceeds 120 the value will be corrected to 120 Speed Corner Pegging Over HIGH SPEED Yes Under HIGH SPEED Over LOW SPEED Only when HIGH SPEED LOW SPEED Yes Under LOW SPEED No Menu Item Configured Value LOW SPEED 5 TURN ANGLE 28 TURN SLOPE 26 x10 speed TURN TIME 30 seconds Speed TURN SLOPE TURN SLOPE Speed Cut off after the decimal point 1 TURN ANGLE 2 TURN THRESHOLD 3 1 2 80 26 x10 3 28 31 70 26 x10 3 28 31 60 26 x10 4 28 32 50 26 x10 5 28 33 40 26 x10 6 28 34 30 26 x10 8 28 36 20 26 x10 13 28 41 10 26 x10 26 28 54 5 26 x10 52 28 80 2 26 x10 130 28 158 120 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 46 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 6 5 Speed vs Turn Threshold Here are the TH D72A E default configurations for position beacon transmissions using the SmartBeaconing configuration as shown below Table 6 7 SmartBeaconing Configuration Values Note If SmartBeaconing does not result in appropriate beacon transmissions then you must re configure individual parameters so as to more closely match driving conditions 6 1 5 3 Operation Example Menu Item Configured Value LOW SPEED 5 HI
82. only to senders with W6 as their callsign prefix Figure 6 8 Automatic Reply Message Configuration Screen Select Menu 3T1 Sound TX Beep Beacon and select ON to sound a beep every time the TH D72A E transmits a beacon We recommend enabling this function to monitor the status of beacon transmissions when SmartBeaconing is used If OFF is selected the transceiver does not beep even if a beacon is transmitted This function prevents accidentally changing the data band frequency or accidentally transmitting on the data band by pressing the PTT switch in APRS communication Select type of APRS Lock in Menu 302 APRS Basic Set APRS Lock Off It changes the data band frequency so that you can transmit on the data band by pressing the PTT switch On The frequency of the data band cannot be changed You also cannot use Scan with VFO MR ENT MHz and ENC On amp PTT You cannot change the frequency of the data band nor transmit on the data band by pressing the PTT switch On amp TNC You cannot change the frequency of the data band and while in APRS mode pressing the TNC key will not exit APRS mode On amp PTT amp TNC You cannot change the frequency of the data band nor transmit on the data band by pressing the PTT switch While in APRS mode pressing the TNC key will not exit APRS mode Figure 6 9 Menu 302 Basic Set APRS Lock 6 1 7 2 TX Beep Beac
83. operational applications such as ease of transportation and of mobile operation with competing products or GPS receivers on the market Consequently the new transceiver ensures good positioning performance and satisfactory operation Although TH D72A E comes with an internal GPS unit your GPS receiver can be connected as before 1 1 GPS Unit 1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 2 CONTENTS TH D72A E Next we turned our sights to applied functions of GPS Incorporating an internal GPS unit to support the collected positional information in APRS applications is our minimum standard and it is also very important to provide customers with applied functions to enhance the convenience of the product Following are some examples of applied functions available with the internal GPS unit GPS Logger Function It features the GPS logger function to log the tracking data The maximum of 5 000 points seem rather modest compared with a full fledged GPS logger but the GPS logger function on the TH D72A E allows setting of the interval of records in the log according to the usage environment and therefore is very useful A user can choose from 1 the programmed interval duration 2 the programmed travel distance and 3 the timing of transmitting an APRS beacon The recorded movement trajectory data log can be exported to a PC with the MCP 4A dedicated memory control program for TH D72A E installed and be saved in several file formats including KML
84. operators with these features Position Entry TH D72A E with its built in GPS solves the hassle of external connections and setup and always accurately knows your position For times indoors the radio has 5 position memories for pre stored frequently used positions Map Displays on attached GPS Although the radio has a built in GPS it still has the special waypoint output for putting all other APRS positions info on an attached external GPS When connected to the AvMap G5 series and later these position objects will show as any of the nearly 200 special APRS symbols APRS Network Fundamentals Kenwood fully implemented the more subtle aspects of the APRS fundamentals that assure optimum network efficiency and channel sharing among all users New TH D72A E supports the decay algorithm proportional pathing and SmartBeaconing These techniques provide good refresh rates for new and local information while minimizing the network impact of old and distant data Objects The Kenwood transceivers fully appreciate the value of APRS objects and display them prominently The object location is shown just like other stations either on the attached map display or on the front panel with distance and range TH D72A E also includes filters for easy sorting of these objects in the list These objects are what give APRS the local information value to local users Two Way Messaging Unlike passive one way tracking devices t
85. or small local networks To solve this problem the WIDE1 1 first hop concept was developed WIDE1 1 Fill in Digipeaters Old TNC hardware of WIDE1 1 fill in digipeaters only allowed a single digipeater ALIAS In the early days of APRS we used the generic alias of RELAY so that any TNC or home station could be used as a local digipeater But this produced too many dupes and was abandoned in 2004 In its place we substituted the path of WIDE1 1 The beauty of this ALIAS Is that it can act both as a simple generic ALIAS but at the same time be recognized by all of the modern WIDEn N digipeaters as well These modern TNCs with the WIDEn N mechanism all avoid making any duplicates This allows local areas to put up small area local coverage WIDE1 1 digipeaters using any old TNC as a first hop for mobiles driving nearby The mobile can hit these fill in digis in weak signal areas but at 7 4 5 Proper Configuration written by Bob Bruninga WB4APR 7 APRS NETWORKS TH D72A E CONTENTS 61 the same time also hit the WIDEn N network when they are in good coverage areas For this reason the usual 2 hop recommendation for mobiles is not WIDE2 2 This is because those packets would not be recognized by these fill in digis Instead we encourage all mobiles to use the 2 hop path of WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 Mobile Path WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 Mobile Path To assure that mobiles can get 2 hops no matter where they are and no matter wh
86. ork or to other traffic Figure 7 5 Using UIDIGI 7 4 Digipeaters Digital Repeaters 7 4 1 UIDIGI My callsign W6DJY 1 UIdigi ON Aliases WIDE1 1 WB4APR 7 gt APK103 WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 Test WB4APR 7 gt APK103 W6DJY 1 WIDE2 1 Test 7 APRS NETWORKS 58 CONTENTS TH D72A E With UIFLOOD activated On when a digipeater receives a UI frame with a character string for alias in the form XXXXn N where XXXX matches the alias character string in the digipeater the digipeater subtracts 1 from N and processes the packet reporting only the revised character string so as not to make the frame length too long The UIFLOOD technique does not provide traceable paths so its use is not recommended generally UIFLOOD is used for supporting the SSn N or SSSn N state or regional paths Also the example should be changed to start with SS3 3 instead of WIDE3 3 UIFLOOD should very rarely be used by mobiles Figure 7 6 Using UIFLOOD The UIFLOOD method of digipeating is only a function of a full sized properly configured permanent digipeater If a normal mobile station is activated with UIFLOOD it can cause much unnecessary interference to the network The only time to ever activate a mobile station with UIFLOOD is in very special cases when a mobile station is being used on top of a hill to provide temporary emergency digipeating to replace a broken or missing wide area digipeater UITRACE functions similar to UIFLOOD with the difference th
87. orldwide Not only did it take GPS inputs but it fully implemented the APRS messaging bulletins and texting capabilities Over the next 11 years this predecessor to the TH D72A E was the most popular Kenwood HT ever as APRS brought new life to packet radio In parallel Kenwood also introduced the fully integrated TM D700A E mobile APRS radio in 2000 These APRS front panel display radios now brought the full APRS local situational awareness to the mobile operator as shown below With these displays the APRS information content delivery system was in place without any need for mobile PC s or laptops Further the attached GPS provided the map display and the radio display provided all the other information content 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR TH D72A E CONTENTS 7 Texting But still most non APRS ham radio operators just did not find any advantages beyond the maps My frustration with the growing lack of live human content in APRS continued to fester to the breaking point at a 2006 ARRL Special Meeting at Dayton on the lack of youth in ham radio The gathered fathers of ARRL lamented Ham radio was missing the youth They were too busy texting on their cell phones and ham radio had nothing similar to offer I was incensed Ham radio had had wireless hand held texting and email for nearly a decade in the form of the handheld Kenwood APRS TH D7A E and yet even the amateur radio leadership was
88. ower FM transceivers These networks built by individual hams connecting through gateways into the Internet are allowing others to share the experience that this infrastructure offers Furthermore the networks are growing in size day by day Hams are using basic FM transceivers to communicate on a direct one on one basis with operators across the globe Besides hobby applications such a communications network also has tremendous capability to deliver a powerful tool to serve the general public in times of emergencies The TH D72A E the successor of TH D7A E incorporates APRS Automatic Packet Reporting System functions Kenwood has a long history in developing APRS we have combined radio and GPS technology and developed APRS products over the years At our first meeting with the father of APRS Mr Bob Bruninga 15 years ago our history of APRS development products began In 1996 the TM V7A E became popular for use with APRS because the transceiver has been capable of the data communications using a separate band which is apart from voice communications But the Internet personal computers GPS and electronic mapping technologies were all in their infancies compared to now and along with the change of the environment over the years our transceivers have always been on the way to be evolved TH D7A E and TM D700A E marketed as APRS transceivers had a great deal to do with APRS s expansion all over the world In addition to APRS with TM D
89. pdown list and open the desired file In the Open window select the correct file type in the Files of type dropdown list and open the desired file The files in the table below can be imported into MCP 4A The referenced software can be downloaded from the following web site http www kenwood com i products info amateur software_download html Table 8 2 MCP 4A Importable File Formats Table 8 3 Reading a File 8 3 1 Reading a File Created with MCP 4A 8 3 2 Importing Other MCP Files into MCP 4A Software Name and Extension Transceiver Model Remarks MCP 2A TM V71A TM V71E TM D710A TM D710E RC D710A RC D710E MCP 2000 2k0 TS 2000 TS 2000X TS B2000 MCP D7G d7g TH D7A G TH D7A G2 0 TH D7E G2 0 MCP 1A mcp TH K2AT TH K2E TH K2ET TH K4AT TH K4E TM 271A TM 271E MCP F6 F7 fx TH F6A TH F7A TH F7E MCP D700 700 TM D700A TM D700E MCP D7 d7 TH D7A TH D7E 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 70 CONTENTS TH D72A E Only files created for K type models USA and Canada can be imported into MCP 4A The referenced software can be downloaded from the following Kenwood U S A Corporation web site http www kenwoodusa com Support Amateur_Radio Table 8 3 MCP 4A Importable File Formats Table K type only Note Memory channels that are outside of the receive frequency range of TH D72A E cannot be read With MCP 4A it is not possib
90. radigm TH D72A E supports the configurations of New N Paradigm RELAY Paradigm and STATE SECTION REGION Overall this provides an efficient mechanism for transferring packets Appropriate configuration is required in order to digipeat a packet path relay route New N Paradigm using WIDEn N assigns an alias and a relay stage number for digipeaters This system is spreading worldwide For example when you desire two hops then you can configure TOTAL HOPS 2 and once configured you can verify that the packet path is configured to WIDE2 2 In the past years when a regional digipeater was wanted RELAY was used but this is replaced by WIDE1 1 You can use WIDE 1 1 simply by configuring On via menu selection Again you can verify on the configuration screen that WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 was used for the relay route This is one of the digipeat types used in Europe The old backwards compatible RELAY technique was included for some areas that have still not updated to the universal New N Paradigm using traceable WIDEn N It allows the first hop to be via the RELAY path and then uses TRACEn N for subsequent hops The USA is using the New N Paradigm But Europe has not yet fully coalesced into RELAY PARADIGM as of this writing 7 5 Packet Path 7 5 1 New N Paradigm 7 5 2 RELAY Paradigm 7 APRS NETWORKS TH D72A E CONTENTS 63 In contrast to WIDEn N which generates packets equally in all directions you can use STATE SECTION REGION t
91. requency recommended by OS or faster Memory More than OS recommended capacity Hard Disk 30 MB or more free space Display XGA resolution or higher 1024 x 768 Communication Port USB 1 0 2 0 port 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E 66 CONTENTS TH D72A E 4 Click Start gt Program gt KENWOOD gt MCP 4A to start MCP 4A Figure 8 2 MCP 4A Splash Window 5 Select the communication port Specify in the COM Port frame the communication port COM Port that will be used to communicate via your computer with the target station You cannot select grayed out ports If all ports are grayed out this indicates your computer has no COM ports installed and you will not be able to use the MCP 4A software even if you click the OK button Figure 8 3 MCP 4A COM Port Setting Window 6 Read the information of TH D72A E Read the desired information of TH D72A E that you wish to edit Click the OK button Next select Read Data from the Transceiver from the Program pulldown menu and read the information from the target transceiver Note The basic method of using MCP 4A is to read the existing transceiver data into MCP 4A edit the configuration and then write the new configuration back to the transceiver 8 MCP 4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH TH D72A E TH D72A E CONTENTS 67 Figure 8 4 MCP 4A Read Transceiver Advisory Message Figure 8 5 MCP 4A Progra
92. ry valuable to the operator in understanding his local area network This display is just one of the 9 pages of additional information available on each station heard by TH D72A E and captured in the station list APRS Radio Map Capabilities All of the Kenwood APRS radios can display all stations in the Station list on any attached GPS map display if the GPS supports standard NMEA waypoints These stations are shown with the GPS s native generic waypoint symbol except for those that are compatible with the special Kenwood interface such as the AvMap G5 G6 which has the full APRS symbol set shown below and the Garmin nuvi 350 which requires the corresponding conversion cable supplied by Argent Data System and has about 50 different symbols The nuvi 350 needs a GTRANS Kenwood to Garmin translator cable available from http argentdata com The AvMap is designed for 100 compatibility with the nearly 200 APRS symbols The data cable manufactured by Argent translates the special Kenwood data format into the 50 or so Garmin symbol set where possible Image of AvMap by Don Arnold W6GPS and nuvi 350 by Mike Wren N2QDK Other APRS Information Resources The information available to the mobile operator is unlimited APRS is not an end in itself but the information is not available if no one is transmitting it The potential is still wide open for additional content This is not spam but real immediate information of value to the mobile or traveler
93. s made up of many digital repeaters commonly referred to as digipeaters Of course digipeaters are well known among those who have used packet radio for years Digipeaters receive data over the air via radio signal and repeat or relay it onward For a voice repeater two different frequencies are used simultaneously to accomplish this repeater function However a digipeater first receives and stores data and then transmits when the channel clears In the earlier times of packet radio and digipeaters it was required to specify the callsign of each digipeater station But it was difficult to know which digipeater station to use If moving in a vehicle you had to constantly consider changing digipeaters Now APRS uses a common generic callsign for all digipeaters referred to as WIDEn N where N is the number of hops desired through the network typically 2 or less The WIDE terminology lets you know the digipeater is in a good location for repeating signals A mobile station anywhere only has to specify WIDE1 1 without needing to know a specific callsign of a digipeater in order to digipeat their beacon transmission APRS evolved over many years beginning in 1992 and there were many inefficient older network concepts that were still being used in some areas You still may see references to these obsolete techniques RELAY WIDE TRACE and TRACEn N By 2004 it was decided it was time to abandon those many older inefficient paths and concentrate on on
94. systems Note If all you think of when you hear the word APRS is maps and stagnant icons then you are not using the full potential of APRS If all of the local information that can be of immediate value to the APRS HT or mobile operator is not showing up in your local area then get active and get involved in supplying this content APRS is a communication tool not just an automated map Use it But in most cases that means entering data not just watching it Kenwood has provided the APRS handheld and mobile information display capability it is up to us to provide content TH D72A E CONTENTS 15 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS Following need to be configured before start operating TH D72A E with APRS APRS data will be stamped with date and time Therefore the built in clock must be set Since the time acquired via the GPS receiver is UTC Time Zone must be configured The station configured for My Callsign will be used as the originating station when APRS data is sent You cannot send any APRS data from your station with the default value of NOCALL unchanged Select APRS default for data format for sending Set either of the bands on which the internal TNC handles APRS data communications Adjust the packet speed to suit the APRS network Your station s position is added to APRS data therefore you must configure your latitude and longitude You can get your own position also from GPS Select the template message Posi
95. the following website http aprs org localinfo html 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR TH D72A E CONTENTS 11 Hamfests Another very typical object that everyone loves to see is the HAMFEST object This bright red APRS symbol stands out smartly on any APRS display including the AvMap GPS display as shown above At first glance this object tells you the most important information Where it is and when The HFEST DDn standardized object name includes the DATE in the DD digits Only the day is shown here it is on the 26th but this allows for 2 weeks notice to everyone in the area and anyone driving through The final character n is chosen to make the symbol unique in the global APRS system This makes for easy sorting of these objects Simply go to http aprs fi hfest and see a list of all active hamfests the world over The talk in frequency is also listed for instant QSY with the TH D72A E TUNE function I was on a cross country trip one day on a weekend and just happened to see one of these objects and was able to detour and spend an hour or two at this favorite ham radio pastime To see how to beacon your local hamfest refer to the following website http aprs org hamfest html Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP Recognizing the huge potential for linking local ham radio over Internet an added goal of APRS since 2001 has been to facilitate the use of IRLP EchoLink and other VoIP systems
96. the power on bitmap image The image used for the power on bitmap must be a monochrome bitmap file with 120 pixels width and 48 pixels height Do the following procedure to enter the password for the Power on Password function From the Edit pulldown menu select Menu gt Radio In the Radio window enter in the Password edit box a string of up to 6 characters consisting of alphanumerics 0 to 9 and A to D Note When the entry of the password is complete click on the Power on Password checkbox in this window to enable the Power on Password function 8 5 7 Changing the Power on Bitmap Image 8 5 8 Configuring the Character String for the Power on Password 76 CONTENTS TH D72A E 9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE This section describes how to update the firmware of the TH D72A E transceiver itself and of the TNC In order to update the equipment each of the following is required Equipment to be updated TH D72A E Computer Communication cable USB Cable that comes with TH D72A E Firmware update program Kenwood provides the firmware update program for use on Windows operating systems The specifications for your computer in order to use this software are as shown in Table 9 1 Table 9 1 Firmware Update Computer Specifications Table Note Upon connecting the transceiver to a PC using a USB cable ensure that the connection has securely been in place The firmware updating program may not be
97. tially reduces load on the entire network by maintaining the packet update frequency at the automatic transmission interval for nearby stations that do not require relaying while thinning the number of relay hops for distant stations that do not require frequent updates Figure 6 2 Example of path switchover operation of Proportional Pathing when the packet path is set to WIDE1 1 WIDE2 2 The speed at which Proportional Pathing decides that the car is moving can be set using the Moving dropdown list in the Basic tab of the APRS window of the MCP 4A programming software If the mobile station s speed exceeds this setting then Proportional Pathing will start The speed setting can be changed only in the MCP 4A program 6 1 1 2 Entering Characters 6 1 2 Decay Algorithm Function 6 1 3 Proportional Pathing Function Traffic Jam Transmits the position beacon 2 minutes 4 minutes 8 minutes 16 minutes 32 minutes 32 minutes Initial interval 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute Transmits every 1 minute DIRECT No hop DIRECT No hop DIRECT No hop DIRECT No hop WIDE1 1 1 hop WIDE1 1 1 hop WIDE1 1 WIDE2 1 2 hops WIDE1 1 WIDE2 2 3 hops 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS TH D72A E CONTENTS 43 Refer to the diagram below to understand what occurs when both Decay Algorithm and
98. tion Comment that is to be included in the position packet to describe the current situation of your station You can store up to five comments containing any desired text using a maximum of 42 alphanumeric characters Configure your station icon Select a method to transmit the beacon Select the packet path type Set to enable or disable the beep sound to be emitted when an APRS packet is received or transmitted 3 1 What Do I Need to Configure Step 1 Built in Clock Step 2 My Callsign Step 3 Beacon Type Step 4 Data Band Step 5 Packet Speed Step 6 Position Step 7 Position Comment Step 8 Status Text Step 9 APRS Icon Step 10 Method of Beacon Transmission Step 11 Packet Path Step 12 Sound 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 16 CONTENTS TH D72A E Set the receiver shut off period for the battery saver The operating frequency will depend on what region of the world you are operating You can begin operation using the frequency configured for the data band as follows North America 144 390 MHz Europe 144 800 MHz Australia 145 175 MHz New Zealand 144 575 MHz Argentina 144 930 MHz Brazil 145 570 MHz Japan 144 640 MHz 9600 bps 144 660 MHz 1200 bps Press the TNC key to place the transceiver in APRS mode so as to operate APRS Select the BCON key to transmit the beacon using the method selected in the above mention
99. tion will result in providing the same information to the server and put an excessive load on the Internet and therefore is undesirable Traffic from IGate to amateur radio stations increases air traffic therefore you must be familiar with operational configurations Various filtering functions exist so you should be knowledgeable about your local existing IGate station In the case of packet messaging bidirectional data transfers are used While operating TH D72A E from a fixed station specifying a particular digipeater and the callsign as the packet path to a nearby IGate station will guarantee packets will always be relayed by the same path and can avoid unnecessary relays and therefore raise efficiency In the case of a mobile station since the packet path changes from time to time use the default packet path or follow local rules of each area where you may operate 7 1 APRS Servers 7 2 IGate 7 APRS NETWORKS 54 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 7 1 APRS Network Conceptual Drawing I Gate I Gate I Gate Client Client Client Client Client Client Client I Gate I Gate Tier 2 Server Tier 2 Server Tier 2 Server Tier 2 Server Core Server Core Server Core Server Tier 2 Server 7 APRS NETWORKS TH D72A E CONTENTS 55 With TH D72A E it is possible to transmit email by using the Message function First press the MSG key to show the Message List on the screen Next press MENU
100. tions element Many follow on software clients focused on maps with little attention to the underlying network protocol and human to human connectivity 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR 6 CONTENTS TH D72A E APRS IS In 1997 K4HG and the Mac WinAPRS Sproul brothers tied APRS to the Internet and the APRS IS system as shown above was born While this was a huge success that enabled instantaneous global APRS texting connectivity beyond our wildest dreams it also further enhanced the map view experience of casual APRS viewers Looking at an APRS map was colorful but it did not obviously convey the human contact and connectivity inherent in the system Also it was impossible to communicate with all of the one way trackers equipment and the value of two way amateur radio communications was further being lost in favor of simple two dimensional icons on maps Further these simple icons omitted the other 8 dimensions of color attributes that gave additional at a glance real time information to viewers See http aprs org symbols html APRS Handheld and Mobile Radios To counteract this trend we stopped using Position and went back to the original Packet nomenclature for APRS Then in 1998 Kenwood gave a landmark boost to APRS in the field and to this digital communications capability by introducing the fully integrated TH D7A E Thus TH D7A E put APRS in the palm of the hand of ham radio operators w
101. to show the Message List Menu on the screen And press NEW to create a message on the screen Enter EMAIL in the TO field using ENC on the panel or the 10 key numeric keypad Figure 7 2 EMAIL Entry Screen Next enter the email address to which you wish to send email Leave one space blank after the address and begin entering the message text Refer to an example below Figure 7 3 Entering Email Message Enter the Email text using the encoder cross key or the 16 key numeric keypad on the panel When the message is completely entered it will be transmitted in an APRS message and an E mail is transmitted via the IGate and the APRS server connected to the Internet 7 3 Let s Send Email 7 3 1 Sending Email with TH D72A E 7 APRS NETWORKS 56 CONTENTS TH D72A E Figure 7 4 Transmission Flow for Email Note You cannot send email from a personal computer to a mobile station Just like other APRS packets the content of the email you sent can be monitored by other stations 2 byte codes cannot be sent In case the Email Server is down Email is not delivered Internet APRS Server TM D710A E APRS software Email software From IGate to Server Server to Internet Digipeater Email transmission Email has been received 7 APRS NETWORKS TH D72A E CONTENTS 57 The greatest feature of APRS is the network that is spreading around the world The heart of the network i
102. traveling at any speed between LOW SPEED and FAST SPEED then the beacon transmits at an interval that varies linearly according to the speed traveled The transmission interval extends longer as the speed becomes slower and the interval becomes shorter as the speed gets faster Table 6 1 Relationship between Speed and Beacon Transmission Interval 6 1 4 Simultaneously using Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing 6 1 5 SmartBeaconing Written by Steve Bragg KA9MVA 6 1 5 1 Variable Rate Beaconing Transmission Interval Changes with Speed Speed Transmission Interval Over HIGH SPEED FAST RATE Under HIGH SPEED Over LOW SPEED Only when HIGH SPEED LOW SPEED Only when HIGH SPEED LOW SPEED FAST RATE x HIGH SPEED current speed transmission interval time Under LOW SPEED SLOW RATE Now Proportional Pathing Returns to Decay Algorithm Velocity Knots Status 1 2 2 0 3 3 35 Decay Decay Decay Proportional Proportional Proportional Proportional 6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 44 CONTENTS TH D72A E Table 6 2 Configuration Example Table 6 3 Variable Rate Beaconing Example with LOW SPEED 5 HIGH SPEED 70 SLOW RATE 30 min FAST RATE 120 sec Figure 6 4 Speed vs TX Interval Time Note The unit of Speed can be configured by using Menu 3V0 When the mobile station s speed is above LOW SPEED Corner Pegging begins operating A Corner Pegging position beacon will be transmitte
103. uch as in a building or restaurant some people set up the mobile station as a digipeater Furthermore APRS beacons that include latitude longitude speed direction and altitude information are most suitable for hot air balloon rides and hang gliding while the support team usually tracks the whereabouts of the balloon or glider from the ground In these cases since it is necessary to transmit beacons with shorter intervals than usual operation is on a different frequency from normal APRS operations Some applications such as Google Map APRS http aprs fi have a function to store the movement trajectory of specified stations and can be utilized to review the flight of the day or to analyze the trajectory in conjunction with the meteorological data provided by the nearby weather station Also the following are some other features that increase convenience of text messaging while moving This is a function to return a predefined message such as Pse QRX Will return later at 12 35 automatically when an APRS message is received Auto Reply is only for passing along special information to anticipated message senders when the operator may temporarily not be able to respond It should not be left on for routine operation in most cases because it adds unnecessary network load The sending station will always get an ACK an acknowledgment message and this is sufficient to know that the message was delivered in most cases 6 1 Let s Go
104. ult to 9600 bps modify the Into KISS section of Comms Setup window as follows Add the HB 9600 command 1 M 2 HB 9600 3 KISS ON 4 RESTART 5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 40 CONTENTS TH D72A E The APRS program currently runs on a number of platforms These programs are constantly being updated and can be downloaded from the Internet Most programs are shareware and the latest versions are available at the TAPR Tucson Amateur Packet Radio FTP site ftp ftp tapr org aprssig APRSdos ftp ftp tapr org aprssig dosstuff APRSdos Written by Bob Bruninga WB4APR the Father of APRS Runs on MS DOS MacAPRS ftp ftp tapr org aprssig macstuff MacAPRS Written by Mark Sproul KB2ICI and Keith Sproul WU2Z APRSdos ftp ftp tapr org aprssig dosstuff APRSdos Runs on Macintosh computers using Operating System 7 or higher WinAPRS ftp ftp tapr org aprssig winstuff WinAPRS Written by Mark Sproul KB2ICI and Keith Sproul WU2Z Runs on Windows 95 or higher or on Windows 3 1 Win32s javAPRS ftp ftp tapr org aprssig javastuff Written by Steve Dimse K4HG Runs on JAVA APRSplus ftp ftp tapr org aprssig winstuff APRSPLUS Written by Brent Hildebrand KH2Z Runs on Windows 95 or higher or on Windows 3 1 Win32s UI View ftp ftp tapr org aprssig winstuff UI View Written by Roger Barker G4IDE SK AGWTracker http www agwtracker com Written by George Rossopulos SV2AGW Note
105. uses Digipeating New TH D72A E is the first APRS HT to have a digipeater function Each radio now has front panel access control to the digipeater function so that it can be turned on and off as needed to match the local situation In addition each TH D72A E can be used as a TEMPn N digipeater in support of emergency operations when a user is having difficulty accessing the existing WIDEn N network Refer to http aprs org TEMPn N html Voice Operating Frequencies The most important new feature of the new TH D72A E is the recognition of the value of the voice operator frequency as a fundamental communications parameter Not only does the radio automatically include its own voice band frequency in every position packet it also has special displays and features that make this information readily available For example the station list can be sorted to bring Frequency Objects to the top of the list in frequency order Further the radio can tune to these frequencies for quick QSO with a single press of the TUNE menu EchoLink IRLP or Winlink Frequencies New TH D72A E frequency TUNE function not only makes rapid QSY to another station operator easy it also facilitates quick tuning to nearby EchoLink IRLP or Winlink frequencies with the push of a single button Future use of this capability is anticipated to automatically and seamlessly integrate callsign to callsign calling from RF via local national and global ham radio VoIP
106. utlawed on the shared BBS channels Even UI digipeating was being disabled in all packet nodes to make sure that no one beaconed or chatted on the BBS network and dozens of restricted exclusive use packet frequencies But we still wanted that live operator to operator UI packet chat capability and we still needed a tactical real time local communications and information distribution channel for rapidly exchanging digital data of immediate value to local operators and operations In 1992 we abandoned the Commodore 64 and switched to the new IBM AT personal computer running at 4 MHz and changed the name from the Connectionless Emergency Traffic System CETS to Automatic Packet Reporting System APRS since it matched my call so nicely APRS in 1990s I formally presented APRS at the TAPR ARRL Digital Conference in 1992 APRS really took off as the cost of GPS got below 500 each and I manually digitized the entire U S A and some other countries using coordinates measured from paper maps It was during these times that the P was temporarily called Position to highlight this new capability Unfortunately this was a mistake Over the next decade as GPS became readily available too many hams only saw the position maps of APRS and not the broad communication applications for human to human tactical ham radio information exchange in real time Too many operators bought transmit only GPS trackers and further ignored the real time human communica
107. vestige of APRS used Vic 20s and packet radio to share information on the hundreds of runners and horses across the hundreds or so square miles over the 24 hour event There was no such thing as GPS The system consisted of simply a packet channel where each checkpoint beaconed information and objects about arrivals and then transferred object responsibility as it was taken over by the next checkpoint At any instant everyone could see on their screens a list of the objects reported at each station and their status New information was beaconed at a high rate for immediate delivery but decayed rapidly to reduce channel loading so that fresh information had priority with minimum collisions 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH D72A E WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA WB4APR TH D72A E CONTENTS 5 Packet Network Growth Beginning in 1983 we added VHF HF and a phone line to the Vic 20 as well as a BBS message store and forward capability and began expanding to the Commodore 64 It was linked with other systems on 145 01 and had the first dual port HF link onto the 10 149 MHz HF packet frequency we still use today for APRS It was an exciting time but packet radio was being used more and more for connected point to point traffic and then to BBS systems and the real time connectivity between operators was being lost By that time live beacons to announce real time activity and to conduct group chats by UI messaging was not only disappearing but were actually being o

Kenwood TH-D72A/E GPS Receiver User Manual

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